South Asia earthquake: Two weeks on - Humanitarian community works together in coordinated relief operation

Overview

The powerful 8 October earthquake that struck northern parts of Pakistan on Saturday 8 October killed up to 50,000, injured around 75,000 and approximately 3 million people without shelter.

The impact of this disaster is not yet fully clear, and it is unfortunately clear that the numbers of dead and injured are likely to increase as remote settlements are gradually accessed by relief workers. Women who were at home and children in school were especially affected.

The Pakistan Government swiftly responded, mobilizing military and civilian resources to the affected areas, and immediately requesting international assistance; the humanitarian community deployed search and rescue, coordination and other emergency teams within hours.

A massive relief operation is underway, but efforts face unprecedented logistical challenges in approximately 30,000 square kilometres of high-altitude terrain, with many roads destroyed, and worsening weather conditions. Other infrastructure has also been severely damaged or destroyed, including hospitals, schools and water and sanitation networks.

All possible modes of transport are being used to get food and shelter to those most in need, from people on foot and mule trains up to heavy trucks and the world's largest helicopters.

A UN Flash Appeal was launched within three days of the disaster, but the international community has contributed just over 90 million US dollars so far, which represents a relatively small percentage of the funds needed.

Key concerns

Shelter remains the overriding priority, both for homeless families and patients admitted to field medical facilities. Severe aftershocks are causing patients to evacuate hospitals at night, with the injured preferring to be outdoors than in already damaged buildings.

The thousands of communities which remain isolated in the remote valley areas. Exact numbers remain unknown and the humanitarian community and Government are focusing on determining how many people still need to be reached.

Current world stocks of tents will not meet the needs, thousands more winterized tents and blankets are required urgently. Local stocks in Pakistan have been exhausted, but production is being increased in other countries.

Around 200,000 tents will be in country by the start of the winter: this will shelter less than half the homeless families, let alone the needs of field hospitals for post-operative patients. Approximately 50% of the mountainous terrain is unsuitable for tents: other creative solutions are being worked on, using local knowledge and available materials.

Having to wait days for basic medical assistance or undergoing operations and treatment in poorly equipped or partially destroyed hospitals has increased the rate of life-threatening infections and gangrene; the breakdown of safe water supplies and sanitation has also increased the risk of diarrhoeal diseases and other outbreaks. Approximately 600,000 latrines are needed.

Over one million people still need food. Affected communities generally have some food stocks as they usually accumulate them for winter. But without proper shelter, these stocks will be destroyed or will deteriorate. With disrupted roads, it is difficult or impossible for many affected people to replace supplies through regular means.

The plight of the vast numbers of children who are thought to be among those without shelter; they are more vulnerable to hypothermia, hunger and disease.

Whether the full magnitude of this calamity and its impact on Pakistan has been fully grasped by the international donor community.

The relief operation

Coordination

Ten coordination clusters were established to bring together UN agencies, the Government, NGOs, international organizations, Pakistani and international military contingents and donors in a focused and coordinated relief operation.

These sectoral clusters are supported by teams working on civil-military coordination, logistics, mapping, information management, and public information.

The approach also avoids fragmentation and duplication of efforts sometimes experienced in emergency situations, which results some groups left without assistance. The cluster members coordinate on needs assessments, mobilization of relief supplies, logistical planning, strategic delivery and creative problem solving.

Shelter

More than 32,000 tents have been delivered, and up to 150,000 are on their way. Local materials and experience are being used to find creative non-tent shelter solutions.

To reach out to people in inaccessible areas, UNHCR tents have been distributed to cluster partner, the American Refugee Committee, to be airlifted to remote villages near Bagh.

Camp management

At Bassian camp in Balakot, with capacity for 5,000 families, UNHCR delivered and helped the Pakistan military to set up several hundred tents. International Medical Corps has set up basic health units while local NGO Social Sustainable Development is setting up water and sanitation facilities.

Water and sanitation

Water treatment plants have been installed in Muzaffarabad and Balakot, supplying 17,000 people with 250,000 litres of safe drinking water a day, while a further six plants will be set up in Balakot, Batagram and other locations.

Oxfam, DFID, the Pakistan Hikers Association and others have sent supplies of water tanks and jerry cans to Muzaffarabad. Some 50,000 purification sets have been given to hikers setting off on foot for remote mountain communities.

Health

Nine UNFPA mobile health units are now serving over 2,000 patients a day in Muzafferabad and Mansehra, as well as providing shuttle services to outlying areas. Most are staffed by a female doctor and nurse-midwife, plus male and female health attendants.

They have delivered babies and saved mother's lives from complications caused by earthquake trauma or lack of care, and can undertake Caesarean sections, safe blood transfusions and dialysis.

Up to 300 surgical operations a day can now be carried out in the Muzafferabad hospital and 2,100 patients have been treated since last Monday. WHO reports that so far there have been no disease epidemics. UNHAS helicopters are evacuating up to 200 injured a day.

Inter-cluster

A joint NATO/UNHCR airlift is bringing over 850 tonnes of UNHCR emergency materials over the next several days, using military planes from many NATO member states.

By the end of next week these flights are expected to have delivered more than 15,000 family tents, 220,000 blankets, 68,000 plastic sheets, 500 plastic rolls, 31,500 kitchen sets, 2,000 stoves and 5,000 lanterns, from emergency stockpiles around the world.

Protection

A UNICEF Child Protection Officer is stationed in Muzaffarabad; the Protection cluster is working with the authorities to register families and children to protect orphaned, separated or unaccompanied children.

Logistics

More capacity for helicopter parking is being located around Islamabad.

UNHAS is helping the Government resolve issues of air traffic control and safety.

Food and nutrition

Nearly 500,000 people have received WFP high-energy food rations. Food supplies are now reaching the main hubs, and then moved on to remote locations by mule or on foot, or are collected by survivors and taken home.

Funding

The UN will hold a high-level donor meeting in Geneva on Wednesday, 26 October, to be chaired by Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland to mobilize significant additional financial support from the international community for the appeal.

Detailed information on the humanitarian relief operation is available on www.un.org.pk, and daily situation reports can be accessed at www.reliefweb.int. For further information, please contact Amanda Pitt, OCHA-Pakistan: Tel. + 92 (0) 301 532 3985, or by e-mail at pitta@un.org, Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York: Tel. + 1 917 367 5126 (office) or + 1 917 892 1679 (mobile), or Elizabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva: Tel. +41 22 917 2653 (office) or +41 79 473 4570.

House No. 90, Margalla Road, F-8/2, Islamabad, Tel: 051-209-7793 Fax: 051-209-7794
E-mail: emergencyresponse@un.org.pk