Deadly delays

As weather conditions in many parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Fata give way to rain and snowfall, temperatures are falling quickly in the quake-hit areas. Already, people in Chitral as well as the Bajaur Agency, Swat and other locations are complaining of bitter cold as they try to manage without shelter. While the October 26 earthquake may not have caused the kind of massive loss of life seen during the 2005 earthquake, there was still significant and widespread damage to property, leaving tens of thousands of people without housing. In Malakand Division alone, according to official figures, 15,000 houses were destroyed and 45,000 badly damaged.



Humanitarian agencies have warned that the changing weather conditions could quickly lead to death and disease, especially among young children and the elderly. In this situation, we can only wonder why the local governments, now in place in K-P, have not been able to deliver help more swiftly. A spokesman for the provincial government has admitted that 10-15 per cent of earthquake-hit areas have still to be assessed with teams not yet able to do this. In disaster situations, time is never a luxury. This is especially true when people are compelled to live in the open in the bitter cold, or at best, crowd into flimsy tents for some protection against the elements.

We are also told that relief goods are being kept at the offices of district commissioners. The provincial government says local governments are not yet sufficiently organised to manage relief work. This is not a good sign. It has been some months since the local government elections took place in K-P and while teething problems are only to be expected before the system starts functioning smoothly, the level of efficiency, competence and capacity currently on display is not at all promising. At present, the local government system appears to be out of its depth. There is a need to assess why this is the case and most important of all, ensure that affected people receive help as quickly as possible. If we fail to deliver this, we may be looking at a further calamity caused by the aftermath of the quake and the failure to tackle the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2015.

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