Reasonable estimates: Rescue, relief operations to wind up by Nov 5

Hazara locals fear bad weather will further delay assessment of damages

ABBOTABAD/ PESHAWAR:

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) officials have announced that ongoing rescue and relief operations in quake-affected areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are likely to conclude on November 5 (Thursday). However, when contacted, Hazara Commissioner Akbar Khan has said the assessment of damages in the division will be completed by November 2, leaving authorities with just three days to help the affectees.

Social activists and residents in Hazara are concerned that any delays in assessment could hamper rehabilitation.

An insider told The Express Tribune, a large number of casualties and infrastructural damage was reported during the earthquake.

“Military troops and, subsequently, the government reached Torghar and Kohistan and supplied tents and food items to the affected villagers,” he said. “However, there are some remote areas in Kohistan and Torghar which have been cut off following landslides. This has left the assessment of property damage incomplete.”

A new emergency

According to Zahid Khan, a social activist, teams comprising officials of the revenue and education departments have yet to compile final reports. This is likely to create more problems as the meteorological department has predicted heavy rain and snowfall in Kohistan, Torghar, Battagram and Mansehra over the next 48 hours.

“Bad weather conditions could delay assessment,” he said.

According to Zahid, the government has announced compensation would be provided to the affectees from November 9. “However, any delays in conducting assessments could hamper the rehabilitation of the affected population,” he said.

Nawabzada Salahuddin, a former MNA, said there is an urgent need to clear the roads to initiate the rehabilitation process.

“I have spoken to the chief minister and asked him to send help before weather conditions worsen,” he said. “Some of the victims’ families received compensation on Friday.”

However, a PDMA official said initial surveys of affected areas in Haripur, Abbottabad and Mansehra have been compiled and are being verified.

Setting targets

A senior PDMA official in Peshawar said ongoing relief and rescue operations in K-P will conclude on November 6.

“The district administrations of affected areas are expected to provide compensation packages to the affected families by this date,” he said, requesting anonymity as h is not from the media cell.

Once this stage is completed, PDMA will shift its focus towards government buildings that were damaged in the earthquake.

“We have informed the DCs of all districts to disburse food and other items along with cheques to the affectees,” he said.

PDMA Spokesperson Latifur Rehman told The Express Tribune payments have been released against the demands made by the respective district administrations.

“The district administrations of Upper Dir, Chitral and Lower Dir have started distributing compensation cheques,” he said. “The provincial government has issued instructions to the district administrations to complete the process by Thursday (November 5) and every DC has to reach out to the affectees.”

Rehman said that the affected population should approach these teams to obtain compensation in case they have been missed out.

Strategy for assessment

Meanwhile, the FATA Secretariat has been directed by FDMA to constitute committees in the tribal belt to assess the level of damage caused by the earthquake.

According to a notification issued on Friday, the committees will be set up in the main subdivisions of every agency and conduct surveys.

When contacted, FDMA Infrastructure Assistant Director Noorul Amin told The Express Tribune two types of committees will be formed to carry out surveys across the tribal areas.

“A survey committee will be established in every subdivision of an agency,” he said. According to Amin, each committee team will conduct a survey of 40 houses. The FDMA official said a tehsil steering committee will supervise the activities of survey teams.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31^st, 2015.