Environmental Hazards Jeopardize Pakistan Earthquake Survivors

GLAND, Switzerland, January 5, 2006 (ENS) - Environmental hazards persist in the areas of northern Pakistan shaken by a severe earthquake on October 8, 2005, according to a joint statement issued today by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Worldwide Fund for Nature, and CARE International. Clean water and sanitation are not available in many areas, displaced survivors are putting pressure on fragile forests, and heavy winter precipitation could bring down more slides.

At least five million people in Pakistan and India were affected by the 9.0 magnitude quake. More than 87,000 people have died, and more than three million are without homes, many living in temporary tent camps.

Health hazards due to poor sanitation and inadequate solid waste management practices in the relief camps pose risks to the displaced survivors and to the environment, the groups warn.

Devastation after the October earthquake in northern Pakistan (Photo courtesy UN)

CARE says that "the harsh Himalayan winter is expected to be even worse than usual this year, creating fears of another wave of deaths from hypothermia, pneumonia and other respiratory infections - particularly among children - among those with no or inadequate shelter and poor sanitary conditions."

Landslides caused by the earthquake have obstructed river channels at many locations. During heavy winter snows and rain in the steep mountainous region, there is a danger of flash floods and more landslides, the groups say.

Between Hattian Bala and Chakaar, a massive landslide has blocked the course of a river across two valleys, creating two lakes and a dike about 200 meters (656 feet) high. Upstream and downstream communities are threatened by this situation, the groups warn, particularly if it rains heavily.

Further landslides may result from heavy rains and snow, especially during the period of January to March, known for its heavy precipitation.

To avoid more loss of life, the groups say, "All precaution should be taken to avoid locating relief settlements on mountain slopes as well as sites directly under them. This is because the earth has already loosened due to the massive earthquake and its aftershocks. Ominously, snow and heavy rains would further reduce the gradient at which landslides can occur."

Slide blocks the river between Hattian Bala and Chakaar in the mountainous earthquake affected region. (Photo courtesy IUCN, WWF, CARE)

A project for increasing the capacity of the reservoir has been in the planning phase. In view of current hazards, the technical feasibility "may need to be reviewed and revised," the groups advise.

The need for shelter and fuel for hundreds of thousands of affected people have put the already depleted forests in the region under a great potential threat, the groups warn in their statement. But any further degradation of this precious natural resource would drastically reduce the livelihoods options of the local people, increasing their vulnerability.

Timber supplies in the affected areas should be used locally for reconstruction, the groups say, but they have observed stocked timber being transported out of the earthquake affected areas for more profitable marketing elsewhere, in anticipation of imposition of government controls or subsidies.

Some of the people living in higher altitudes have started reconstruction to provide themselves with shelter from the harsh winter conditions. They are using timbers and other material salvaged from the debris, but these are in limited supply and once they run out, the groups fear that people might begin cutting trees.

Noor Hussein (left) and his nephew, Babar, 17, whose father died in the earthquake, walked down steep mountain trails for days to find food and shelter. (Photo by David Orr courtesy WFP)

"Basic guidelines by relevant agencies at this stage would have a huge positive impact, for it would not be wise to curb the initiative and self-motivation of the affected people," the groups said.

The concerned groups will soon see new building codes that are now being drafted under the auspices of Pakistan Secretary for Housing and Construction Abdul Rauf Chaudhry.

Volunteers from Japan, Turkey and the United States are helping the indigenous engineers and experts to draft the new codes in a bid to avoid future earthquakes losses, Chaudhry told Pakistan TV on Thursday.

The experts are expected to submit their report by January 15. The new building codes will be fully enforced after they are approved by the cabinet, the secretary said.

The existing building code was introduced in 1986, but Chaudhry said it was not suitable to cope with the intensity of earthquakes such as the one that struck in October.

Meanwhile, after a break to avoid torrential rains, relief activities to benefit the earthquake survivors were restarted today Pakistan Army Major Farooq Nasir told the the APP.

The Army spokesman said that 95 helicopter trips carrying relief goods such as plastic sheets, blankets, warm clothes and food were sent to different areas of the Neelam and Jhelum valleys since the rains have eased. Ten trucks loaded with relief goods reached the survivors in Muzaffarabad city. Some 120,000 blankets, and heating arrangements have been provided to the survivors living in the tents, he said.

CARE International says that there are not enough winterized tents to go around, so survivors have begun moving south in search of warmer weather. "Those most at risk from the extreme cold are the estimated 1.5 million people who haven’t found shelter," said CARE. "For many of them, the prospects of finding properly winterized shelter are running out."

Major Nasir said that a number of families, which came down from the hilly areas due to heavy snowfall and rains have been provided shelter at safer places in the Jhelum valley.