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Report on seismic survey by January 15

By Irfan Ghauri

ISLAMABAD: A seismic survey report will be completed by January 15 and new building codes will be formulated to make future buildings earthquake resistant, Federal Relief Commissioner Maj Gen Farooq Ahmed Khan told a news conference on Friday.

Khan said the death toll and number of injured remained at 73,331 and 128,288. The Azad Jammu and Kashmir and North West Frontier Province governments are still determining the number of missing people, he added.

The commissioner said providing adequate medical care to prevent epidemics and tackle weather-related illnesses was the highest priority. The government is maintaining a constant vigil in earthquake-hit areas through the Disease Early Warning System (DEWS), he said. He claimed there had been no serious outbreak of disease yet, but warned that the number of pneumonia and respiratory cases would increase as the weather becomes colder.

The World Health Organisation and the Health Ministry are taking measures to combat the onslaught of winter, said Khan. Mass immunisation campaigns are underway and 100 basic health units are being constructed in priority locations, he added.

He stressed that the Federal Relief Commission was a federal body and accountable to the forums concerned. “I work directly under the prime minister. This task was given to me and it is my obligation to fulfil my responsibilities as ordered,” he said. “I will remain commissioner until ordered otherwise.” The commissioner said a survey showed that over 500,000 houses had been damaged in earthquake hit areas. The government along with the Pakistan Army is constructing at least one-room shelters in areas above 5,000 feet on priority, he said. Around 18,923 shelters have been constructed in AJK and 5,986 in the NWFP, while 6,904 are under construction, he added.

The government has distributed 99,365 Corrugated Galvanised Iron (CGI) sheets in earthquake-hit areas free of cost and 74,509 more sheets will be distributed later, said Khan. “However, more sheets and blankets are needed and I appeal to the international community to help fulfil the task,” he said. Around 593,925 tents and 4,412,663 blankets have been given and Rs 11.027 billion distributed to affected people as compensation out of the Rs 20 billion pledged by President Pervez Musharraf, he added.

The commissioner said 48 tent villages accommodating 31,570 people had been set up in AJK and 17 tent villages accommodating 74,447 people in NWFP. Another 446 tent villages, set up by local communities, accommodating 106,353 people had also been established in the NWFP, he added.

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