06-11-2006, 07:05 AM
PAKISTAN: Confusion over future of quake landless
22 May 2006 16:49:29 GMT
Source: IRIN
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ISLAMABAD, 22 May (IRIN) - A lack of information on assistance for landless quake victims in northern Pakistan remains a major concern, say some survivors of last October's devastating regional earthquake, with confusion over which areas can be built on by returnees and which remain unsafe.</b>
"Every day we are hearing in newspapers and on the radio that our area has been declared a 'Red Zone', meaning it is prone to seismic activity so no reconstruction is allowed," said Muhammad Bashir, a resident of a small hamlet in Balakot valley, 200 km north of the capital, Islamabad.
Bashir said that he needed to reconstruct his house before the monsoon season and the winter that would follow. The problem is he's reluctant to commit what little savings he has to the project until he's sure where he can rebuild.
At the end of March, the quake relief operation moved into the recovery phase in quake-hit northern Pakistan. But seven weeks on reconstruction officials have still not come up with a proper policy for the allocation of land to different categories of internally displaced persons (IDPs) rendered homeless in the 7.6 magnitude quake.
At least 40,000 quake-affected people are currently living in relief camps in parts of Pakistani-administered Kashmir and North West Frontier Province (NWFP), according to the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA). Many say they need clearer information about where they restart their lives before they can leave the camps.
In addition, some 17 villages have been identified as at risk from landslides in the area of Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir. The government says another 30,000 to 40,000 people will possibly need to be moved from these vulnerable settlements to relief camps, noted a recent report from the UN Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC).
In the Pakistani capital ERRA officials are in the process of forming policy over the future of the displaced, but it's taking time.
"The residents of Balakot city cannot return to their property because they are on a fault line. In this case, the government has identified a place for people to be relocated to, but this needs time as well as resources," said Maj Naveed Ahmed from ERRA.
Many displaced from Bagh city in Pakistani-administered Kashmir are waiting for the authorities to come up with specifications for reconstruction. Meanwhile, they wait, forbidden to start constructing new houses until the matter is settled.