Share this story!            

Troubles far from over for quake survivors living in tents

By Iqbal Khattak

CAMP BANDA SAHIB KHAN: Every survivor has his own story to tell at camp Banda Sahib Khan in Havelian. Children at a makeshift school in the camp sing the national anthem and pray to God for help.

“It was God’s wrath,” prayer leader Maulvi Mustabir says, referring to the earthquake. “We should seek forgiveness from God for our wrongdoings,” he said. A banner of the Imamia Students Organisation, Abbottabad reads “Adultery and growing interest-based economy are causes of the quake”.

Multi-coloured tents at the camp are crowded with earthquake survivors from Muzaffarabad, Balakot, Mansehra, Kohistan and Battagram districts who came here in search of shelter from the harsh winter ahead.

The NWFP government set up the camp on October 28 and since then around 800 survivors, some as old as 75 years and as young as three month-old infants, have been provided with tents, free food, blankets and quilts and treated by doctors for various illnesses.

“With previously blocked roads opening up, more quake survivors are arriving at the camp and since Eid their numbers have risen dramatically,” Riasat Khan Jadoon, the official in charge of the camp, told Daily Times.

The camp’s capacity can be expanded to 1,100 canals of land where 1,000 families could be provided temporary shelter, Jadoon said.“Initially, we were to run this camp for six months but we don’t know if the government plans to extend this period,” Jadoon said moments after receiving new arrivals from the quake-affected areas.

The survivors say they never thought they would become refugees in their own country. “Never in my life did I think I would be living in a tent village,” said Nazir Hussain, a teacher from the Boi area of Abbottabad district. “I pray that God never makes anyone live in a tent,” he said as US Chinook helicopters flew overhead.

Children find it difficult to adjust to their new environment, he said. “They prefer staying outside the tents,” Hussain said, who is trying to teach survivors how to keep themselves and their surroundings clean but most survivors do not understand him.

In the coming days, the quake victims may face what the humanitarian organisations call the second wave of deaths when the winter season hits with rain and snow and the mercury going below freezing point.

“Children will be more vulnerable because of the cold weather,” Dr Niaz Ali Khan said. His fears were compounded by the fact that no winterised tent had been provided. Hussain said children slept squashed between their parents to keep warm. “They are sandwiched,” he said.

“After surviving the devastating quake, we don’t know how they will survive the winter,” Nazia Shehzad, mother of two from Muzaffarabad, said. “The tent we are living in cannot withstand the cold and quilts are not enough to keep warm,” she said in a chocked voice. Poor sanitation added to the survivors’ woes.

Toilets have not been constructed and women use separate tents as toilets and to take showers in.

Dr Khan pointed to this problem saying that it might cause outbreaks of skin epidemics among the survivors. Another worry for Dr Khan is the non-availability of important medicines and other equipment in the makeshift hospital. There are no anti-scabby medicines, disposable gloves or masks.

Women make up 50 percent of the total survivors but there is only one woman doctor who visits the camp once a week to treat female patients since the conservative minded men are reluctant to allow male doctors to treat their women.

Home | National

Share this story!