Second disaster looming for millions of Kashmir earthquake victims

As the Himalayan winter sets in, a new disaster is looming for the 3.5 million left homeless. Without adequate shelter and supplies of food and clothes, many more people could die of exposure, hunger and related diseases, particularly in remote mountain villages. The Pakistani military has not been able to reach some sections of the devastated area. Parts of the steep Neelum Valley, where the one road has been destroyed by rockslides, are still not accessible.

Stig Traavik, director of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told the Dawn newspaper on November 24 that the situation in mountainous regions was “quite alarming and can turn into a nightmare” if adequate relief were not provided before the snows started.

Now the snowfall has begun, in some areas eight inches deep. Pakistani meteorologists predict that the 2006 winter will be bitter, with sub-zero temperatures and up to five metres of snow. Cold winds, which are on the way, will increase the impact. Heavy rain over the past few weeks has contributed to the miserable conditions facing refugees and has led to further landslides.

Tanvir Naqvi from Pieer Chanasi village told Reuters: “We’re in trouble. Our children and animals are also in trouble. The temperature is dropping and a tent is not enough.” Bidal Nool, 88, complained: “Nobody is taking care of me except Allah.” A young survivor Jamil, who waited a month for a tent, added: “Life is very difficult. Our food will not last long.”

Haroonur Rasheed, a survivor in a mountain village, told the newsagency that the seven members of his family were without proper shelter. “We know tents are a rare commodity but if we don’t get one we’re sure to die of the cold”. Mohammad Sain said: “We’re living in a shed we have made from straw but that’s not going to work in the rain and snow.”

Already the number of people suffering the effects of cold is on the increase. According to Bashir Rahman, the chief executive at the main hospital in Muzaffarabad, the number of people being treated each day in the city’s facilities for pneumonia and acute respiratory infections had risen sharply to 1,000.

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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/dec2005/kash-d05.shtml