Mudslides impede relief work in quake zone

MUZAFFARABAD—Several days of heavy rain and snow have triggered mudslides, obstructing relief efforts in Pakistan’s earthquake-hit portion of Kashmir, officials said Tuesday.
The closure of two key roads into the Neelum and Jehlum valleys came a day after the U.N. World Food Program warned that harsh winter weather threatens to cut off more than 300,000 survivors of last year’s deadly quake.
Six children have already died of pneumonia and diarrhea in a village near the regional capital, Muzaffarabad, a district health official said.
For three days, heavy rains have lashed Pakistan, including Pakistani Kashmir and the mountainous northwestern region where the 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 80,000 people and left 3.5 million homeless on Oct. 8, 2005.
The two roads linking Muzaffarabad and the valleys are blocked at several points, and it will take several days to clear them, said Mohammed Hussain Pervez, chief engineer at Pakistani Kashmir’s highway department.
Transportation of relief goods into the valleys has been suspended, said Syed Sarfaraz Naqvi, an official with the Red Crescent Society, which is helping rebuild schools and provide medical relief to quake survivors.
But WFP spokesman Amjad Jamal said almost 10,000 tons of emergency food is already at base camps in vulnerable areas, enabling distributions to continue. “There is no food crisis,” Jamal said.
According to the WFP, about 250,000 people in the North West Frontier Province are at risk of being cut off this winter and between 50,000 and 70,000 are vulnerable in Pakistani Kashmir.
Most quake survivors have at least temporary shelter, but only a small proportion has been able to rebuild their homes since the disaster. This year’s early onset of winter has increased concerns for their welfare.
Last winter, relatively mild weather and a massive relief effort staved off the feared mass casualties among those made homeless by the quake.
More rain and snow is expected in the quake zone in the next two days, Pakistan’s state-run Meteorological Department said. Subzero nighttime temperatures are expected, while about 2 feet of snow has already fallen on high mountains.
At least four children have died and dozens of other affected due to the various stomach diseases and severe cold wave here in the quake-hit areas.
District Health Officer Sardar Mahmood Khan told BBC that these incidents of deaths were reported in Khena village situated in northwest of Muzaffarabad. “Recent rain spell and snowfall have intensified the intensity of coldness”, he added.
He said that more than an year has passed since the 8th October tragedy but quake-affectees are still living in makeshifts.
District Health Officer further said round about 60 persons have become victims of stomach diseases and coldness. Out of which 13 were admitted in Muzaffarabad Headquarter Hospital for better health treatment.
He was of claim that now the situation of the village is in control due to the timely medical assistance.
Physicians advised the people to protect themselves from cold specially children and make common use of boil water.
The authorities were also of the claim that the health facilities in quake-affected areas are better enough than earlier. They said that today several quake areas, which earlier lacked basic facilities, now enjoy all the health facilities due to the different aids organizations and NGOs.
There are about 35000 affectees dwelling in the shelters. Very few people enjoy proper residence. Most of them are residing in temporary shelters being made of wooden or CGI Sheets, which are insufficient to protect them from chilly weather.—Agencies