Volcanic activity in Allai ruled out
MUZAFFARABAD—The Pakistan Army team rejected the possibility of volcanic
eruption from the mountains in the Valley of Allai. The team was of the
opinion that the clouds spreading were mountain is result of a
intermittent landsliding still occurring.
Army was flying geologists to an isolated northwestern valley Tuesday to
investigate reports from residents of possible volcanic activity after
the massive earthquake that killed about 80,000 people, an official
said.
The Pakistani geologists will survey the Allai Valley, and if they find
evidence of a volcanic eruption the 150,000 people who live there will
be evacuated, said Army spokesman Major Gen. Shaukat Sultan.
Army helicopters flew over the rugged region of NWFP on Monday and did
not find any signs of an eruption, Sultan said. An estimated 3.3 million
people have been left homeless by the Oct. 8 quake, which has been
followed by hundreds of aftershocks that have spooked survivors and
periodically triggered landslides.
A huge international relief effort has been mounted, but fears remain
for vulnerable communities in distant mountains, with the harsh
Himalayan winter closing in.
Despite fresh appeals and warnings of a second wave of deaths, the
United Nations said Monday it has received less than 30 per cent of the
$312 million it desperately needs to help the victims.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan invited ministers to attend a high-level
donor conference in Geneva on Wednesday (today) to mobilize additional
financial support.
Cloudy weather Tuesday raised concern that rains could fall in the
coming days. But Maj. Farooq Nasir, army spokesman in Muzaffarabad, the
capital of AJK said helicopter relief flights were still operating
unimpeded.
Sultan said it was possible that people in the Allai Valley — located at
a height of about 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) and surrounded by mountains
as high as 10,000 feet could be mistaking the noise of aftershocks or
landslides for the sound of a volcano.
“It could be more prominent in the valley because it is very narrow and
aftershocks trigger landslides in the mountains, which have already been
cut by the earthquake. It kicks up dust due to which local people
believe there could be some volcanic activity,” he told reporters.
An official from Pakistan’s meteorological department, who requested
anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media, said there
was very little chance of volcanic activity as there was no recent
history of eruptions in the country.
Meanwhile, a US Army field hospital unit, with more than 130 staff,
started treated patients in Muzaffarabad — on a mission Washington hopes
will help generate goodwill among Pakistanis.
Officials say it is the eighth mobile hospital to set up in the ruined
city, and only two patients were waiting at its gate when it opened
Tuesday morning. The hospital’s arrival was delayed by a shortage of
aircraft, vehicle breakdowns and the winding roads of the lower
Himalayas.
An estimated 3.3 million people have already been left homeless by the
quake, which killed about 80,000 people. A huge international relief
effort has been mounted for the victims, but fears remain for vulnerable
communities in distant mountains with the harsh Himalayan winter closing
in. Temperatures on Tuesday dropped to 30 degrees in the mountains,
dangerous weather for those left outdoors.
Cloudy weather Tuesday raised concern about rain in the coming days. But
Maj. Farooq Nasir, army spokesman in Muzaffarabad, said helicopter
relief flights were still operating. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
invited ministers to attend a high-level donor conference in Geneva on
Wednesday to mobilize additional financial support.—INP |
