Necessary groundwork: Unsure of NWA’s fate, PDMA, FDMA prepare to host its displaced populace
Committee recommends Kasho Bridge Camp to house IDPs .
Committee recommends Kasho Bridge Camp to house IDPs. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
Even as disaster management officials question the current applicability of the term ‘IDPs’ for those fleeing North Waziristan Agency (NWA), their possible displacement is being anticipated due to a possible military operation against the Taliban. A four-member committee has made an assessment about the management of internally displaced persons (IDP) and has submitted its report to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief secretary (CS) on Monday.
K-P Home Secretary Syed Akhtar Ali Shah, FATA Secretary Law and Order Jamal Nasir, FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) Director General (DG) Arshad Khan and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) DG Tahir Orakzai visited Bannu district and have presented the findings to the CS.
Anticipating the worst
The committee, after consulting the Bannu district administration, suggested the camp at Kasho Bridge, 15 kilometres outside Bannu city, as housing for IDPs. They estimate around 8,000 families, comprising 50,000 individuals will migrate to the camp in the first phase.
“Between February 20 to February 28, 20,176 persons have already migrated to safer places whereas 20,000 more are expected to seek shelter at IDP camps,” read the report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune.
The number of displaced people can increase to 250,000 to 300,000, depending upon the intensity and nature of the operation, it added.
In addition to other tribes, around 10,000 to 15,000 Mehsud tribesmen living in NWA will also be registered as IDPs in case of displacement; six points within Frontier Region (FR) Bannu have been identified for the registration of displaced individuals. IDPs will be registered by the FDMA, which will also provide them transportation.
Back to the old board
The report added the PDMA will be responsible for in-camp coordination and management – initially the camp’s residents will be provided cooked food. Edible provisions will be stored in Bannu Cantt and the non-perishable’s will be stored at the Technical Vocational College in Bannu Township.
The Bannu commissioner has already sent a list of initial requirements; PDMA and FDMA will jointly plan a tentative budget in light of the responsibilities assigned to them. Once allocated by the Ministry of SAFRON, the budget will be channelled through the FATA Secretariat, shared the committee’s report on IDP management.
Facilities such as electricity and health will be provided by FDMA and PDMA, respectively. The latter has already started to coordinate with the health department, read the document. It added Bannu district police will prepare a security plan and will be assisted by the Frontier Constabulary (FC).
The committee also recommended mobile NADRA registration centres, the registration of IDPs not living in camps by FDMA (with assistance from the social welfare department), arrangements for vaccination and fodder for their livestock, and a bomb disposal unit for Kasho camp and related places.
Down to semantics
According to PDMA DG Muhammad Tahir Orakzai, North Waziristan has not been declared a conflict zone as yet and its fleeing populace cannot be considered IDPs as they are still not registered – regardless of whether they are already living in a camp or offsite.
“As a precautionary measure, government departments are working to make sure they can provide relief to the displaced people and are making efforts through joint strategies to cope with the displacement.”
Establishment of camps, in camp and off camp registration, food supplies, emergency response, and long-term relief are all part of the contingency plan devised, shared Orakzai. They were ready to cope with any situation, he added.
The arrangements are not limited to Kasho Bridge Camp, which spreads across more than 8,000 kanals of land; Orakzai explained measures are in place to shift IDPs to other camps if need be.
“We plan to cater to their education, health, utility and sanitation needs at the camps,” he said. Kasho Bridge Camp has been finalised and water and other arrangements are being made, confirmed the PDMA DG.
“We are ready for the green signal but after the area is declared a conflict zone; we cannot call these people IDPs at the moment.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2014.
Even as disaster management officials question the current applicability of the term ‘IDPs’ for those fleeing North Waziristan Agency (NWA), their possible displacement is being anticipated due to a possible military operation against the Taliban. A four-member committee has made an assessment about the management of internally displaced persons (IDP) and has submitted its report to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief secretary (CS) on Monday.
K-P Home Secretary Syed Akhtar Ali Shah, FATA Secretary Law and Order Jamal Nasir, FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) Director General (DG) Arshad Khan and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) DG Tahir Orakzai visited Bannu district and have presented the findings to the CS.
Anticipating the worst
The committee, after consulting the Bannu district administration, suggested the camp at Kasho Bridge, 15 kilometres outside Bannu city, as housing for IDPs. They estimate around 8,000 families, comprising 50,000 individuals will migrate to the camp in the first phase.
“Between February 20 to February 28, 20,176 persons have already migrated to safer places whereas 20,000 more are expected to seek shelter at IDP camps,” read the report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune.
The number of displaced people can increase to 250,000 to 300,000, depending upon the intensity and nature of the operation, it added.
In addition to other tribes, around 10,000 to 15,000 Mehsud tribesmen living in NWA will also be registered as IDPs in case of displacement; six points within Frontier Region (FR) Bannu have been identified for the registration of displaced individuals. IDPs will be registered by the FDMA, which will also provide them transportation.
Back to the old board
The report added the PDMA will be responsible for in-camp coordination and management – initially the camp’s residents will be provided cooked food. Edible provisions will be stored in Bannu Cantt and the non-perishable’s will be stored at the Technical Vocational College in Bannu Township.
The Bannu commissioner has already sent a list of initial requirements; PDMA and FDMA will jointly plan a tentative budget in light of the responsibilities assigned to them. Once allocated by the Ministry of SAFRON, the budget will be channelled through the FATA Secretariat, shared the committee’s report on IDP management.
Facilities such as electricity and health will be provided by FDMA and PDMA, respectively. The latter has already started to coordinate with the health department, read the document. It added Bannu district police will prepare a security plan and will be assisted by the Frontier Constabulary (FC).
The committee also recommended mobile NADRA registration centres, the registration of IDPs not living in camps by FDMA (with assistance from the social welfare department), arrangements for vaccination and fodder for their livestock, and a bomb disposal unit for Kasho camp and related places.
Down to semantics
According to PDMA DG Muhammad Tahir Orakzai, North Waziristan has not been declared a conflict zone as yet and its fleeing populace cannot be considered IDPs as they are still not registered – regardless of whether they are already living in a camp or offsite.
“As a precautionary measure, government departments are working to make sure they can provide relief to the displaced people and are making efforts through joint strategies to cope with the displacement.”
Establishment of camps, in camp and off camp registration, food supplies, emergency response, and long-term relief are all part of the contingency plan devised, shared Orakzai. They were ready to cope with any situation, he added.
The arrangements are not limited to Kasho Bridge Camp, which spreads across more than 8,000 kanals of land; Orakzai explained measures are in place to shift IDPs to other camps if need be.
“We plan to cater to their education, health, utility and sanitation needs at the camps,” he said. Kasho Bridge Camp has been finalised and water and other arrangements are being made, confirmed the PDMA DG.
“We are ready for the green signal but after the area is declared a conflict zone; we cannot call these people IDPs at the moment.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2014.