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UNDP provides tents and cooking utensils to quake victims

22 October, Islamabad: In support of the earthquake recovery, the United Nations Development Programme has mobilized 12,000 sets of winterized tents and 12,000 sets of kitchen utensils for the earthquake victims in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir and in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). Haoliang Xu, UNDP Country Director said, “this is the first consignment from the resources allocated by Germany to UNDP. In the context of the difficult terrain and weather, we urge the international community to quicken the delivery of tents to the worst hit areas”.

UNDP and IOM confirmed that recovery teams are looking at alternative shelter designs and the reconstruction of temporary shelter using existing materials. Mr. Jan Vandemoortele UN Humanitarian Coordinator said “Approximately 50% of the mountainous terrain is unsuitable for tents: other creative solutions are being worked on, using local knowledge and available materials.”

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.

The UN is supporting the Government of Pakistan in the donors’ conference scheduled for October 26 in Geneva to raise urgent funds for the earthquake victims. At least 50,000 people have been killed and around 75,000 injured by the earthquake. Approximately 3 million are people without shelter.

A massive relief operation is underway, but efforts face unprecedented logistical challenges in approximately 30,000 square kilometers of high-altitude terrain, with many roads destroyed, and worsening weather conditions.

The thousands of communities remain isolated in the remote valley areas. 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.