Without facilities: For IDPs at Jalozai, only a tent to fight harsh winter

Demand warm clothes and bedding, supply of food items, electricity and firewood at the camp.

PESHAWAR:

As temperature is plummeting, the problems of internally-displaced persons (IDPs) at the Jalozai Camp are compounding.

The IDPs have expressed concern they have not been provided with warm clothes and bedding and that they are only left with summer tents to fend for themselves in the cold.

Moreover, they said that lack of food items and non-availability of electricity and firewood has made it even more difficult to live at the camp.

Shamshad Khan Afridi, who migrated from Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency due to the ongoing militancy, said the camp administration has not distributed warm clothes or bedding among them and his family have been spending sleepless nights due to the cold.

“We can bear the cold during the day without blankets, sweaters or firewood, but it gets unbearable during the nights,” said Afridi, who lives at the camp with his wife and four children.

Another IDP from Khyber Agency, Malik Noor, said his son has been ill due to the cold for the past week and his condition is worsening.

He said he took his son to the doctor at the camp several times and he always prescribed the same painkiller that he gives to every other patient.

Given the lack of facilities, the camp is “just not worth living in,” he added.



He demanded of the administration to provide the IDPS with warm clothes, bedding and tents and to ensure supply of firewood and electricity at the camp.

An IDP from Bara, Sanobar Khan, complained that the wheat flour being distributed amongst them is of poor quality, adding that the quantity of the rations has also been decreased.

Moreover, Khan said that due to the lack of rations, there are long queues at the food distribution site and when the IDPs, especially the elderly ones, complain of waiting for hours, they are often roughed up by security guards.

He called upon the government and humanitarian organisations to help them “in this time of need” and to ensure continuous supply of food and non-food items at the camp.



Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Syed Zahirul Islam told The Express Tribune that due to lack of resources measures could not be taken on time before the winters. However, he assured that the IDPs will be provided with blankets, shawls and sweaters soon.

The DG said that the issue of the quality of wheat flour was taken with the World Food Organisation, which assured that the flour may have a slight red tint but is not low in quality.

Moreover, he said that the size of the rations has not been decreased, but clarified that the authority has removed unnecessary items from the rations and increased the amount of necessary items.

Islam said that electricity supply to the camp was suspended for a few days but has been restored after payment of dues.

He said the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government is short on funds, but the authority along with different non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has been working for the welfare of the IDPs and will continue to do so till they are fit to return to their homes.

According to PDMA, there are 17,182 families living at the Jalozai Camp. These include 17,082 families from Khyber Agency and a 100 from Bajaur Agency.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2012.