Japan extends emergency grant for quake disaster
By Ali Imran

Islamabad—The Government of Japan decided to extend emergency grant assistance amounting to 8 million US dollars to the international organizations listed below. This amount is being taken out of a total amount of 20 million US dollars that Japan has already pledged to extend for the relief of the people affected by the recent large-scale earthquake in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This was communicated yesterday by Mr. Hiroshi Azuma, Minister of the Japanese Embassy in Islamabad to a high-ranking Pakistani high official. Out of this 20 million US dollars, 12 million are already pledged for assistance on a bilateral basis between Japan and Pakistan.
The international organizations receiving emergency grant assistance are World Food Programme (WFP) 2.5 million dollars, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2.5 million dollars, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 1 million dollars, World Health Organization (WHO) 1 million dollars and International Organization for Migration (IOM) I million dollars.
The Government of Japan has also decided to extend this emergency grant assistance for the relief of the afflicted, considering the need in the disaster-hit areas and responding to a recent unified appeal issued by the U.N. The following are the contents of the assistance; food (provision of high energy biscuits)(WFP), water and sanitation (provision of safe drinking water, rehabilitation of water-supply facilities, provision of water tanks, etc.)(UNICEF), shelter (provision of tents for Afghani-refugees in Pakistan)(UNHCR), health (provision of New Emergency Health Kits, Trauma Kits, and vaccines)(WHO) and transportation (transportation of goods and afflicted people, and emergency transport of injured people) (IOM).
It is hoped that the assistance will facilitate relief activities for the afflicted in the disaster-hit areas. Apart from this financial assistance, Japan has also supplied assistance in the other forms, too. On 9th October, a 49-member Japanese rescue team was dispatched that finished its operations and has departed for Japan. On 10th October a 21-member team of Japanese medical experts arrived in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and has established a medical relief camp in Batgram and is also reaching out the needy in the adjacent Allai tehsil of NWFP province. The medical team, until yesterday, provided medical services to 766 injured and sick survivors of the earthquake. The number of patients and the need for medical services has gradually been increasing. Therefore, a 2nd batch of a 21-member Japanese medical team is scheduled to arrive in two groups today as well as tommorrow to replace the earlier dispatched medical team.
On 11th October, 25 million yen (approx. US$ 238,000) worth of assistance supplies reached Islamabad. On 14th October, around 130 personnel of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) arrived to operate three UH-1 helicopters in Pakistan.