Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ISLAMABAD16025
2005-10-25 09:59:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:  

PAKISTAN - EARTHQUAKE: USAID/DART SITUATION REPORT

Tags:  EAID AEMR ASEC MASS ECON KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 ISLAMABAD 016025 

SIPDIS

STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE
DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER, BDEEMER
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA
SOUTH ASIA RESPONSE MANAGEMENT TEAM
SOUTH ASIA EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE
DCHA/FFP FOR LAUREN LANDIS
ANE DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR MARK WARD
BANGKOK FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER
ROME PASS FODAG
GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH
NSC FOR JMELINE
EUCOM FOR POLA/J3/J4/J5
BRUSSELS FOR USAID PLERNER
NEW YORK FOR TMALY
SECDEF FOR SOLIC/PKHA, USDP/J3
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC FOR J3/J4/J5
HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE FOR J3/J5

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AEMR ASEC MASS ECON KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN - EARTHQUAKE: USAID/DART SITUATION REPORT
#6


-------
Summary
-------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 ISLAMABAD 016025

SIPDIS

STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE
DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER, BDEEMER
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA
SOUTH ASIA RESPONSE MANAGEMENT TEAM
SOUTH ASIA EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE
DCHA/FFP FOR LAUREN LANDIS
ANE DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR MARK WARD
BANGKOK FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER
ROME PASS FODAG
GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH
NSC FOR JMELINE
EUCOM FOR POLA/J3/J4/J5
BRUSSELS FOR USAID PLERNER
NEW YORK FOR TMALY
SECDEF FOR SOLIC/PKHA, USDP/J3
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC FOR J3/J4/J5
HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE FOR J3/J5

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AEMR ASEC MASS ECON KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN - EARTHQUAKE: USAID/DART SITUATION REPORT
#6


--------------
Summary
--------------


1. The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)
continues to facilitate the movement of excess U.S. military
commodities to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for
distribution in affected areas. The USAID/DART observed
market activity and the delivery of food stocks to private
businesses in Muzaffarabad. The U.N. World Food Program
(WFP) is attempting to obtain a needs assessment of the
affected areas. The International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) hospital is receiving patients in Muzaffarabad,
and a U.S. mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) is becoming
operational. The U.N. and the Pakistani military have
developed a long-term six-week transportation plan for
relief commodities that will be presented for approval to
the Government of Pakistan (GOP) on October 25.

--------------
Death Toll
--------------


2. As of October 23, the GOP reported that the earthquake
killed 51,382 people and injured 74,498 others. According
to the U.N., the number of severely affected people is 1.9
million. Severely affected refers to those individuals who
have been affected in more than three clusters (clusters

include food and nutrition, shelter, health, and water and
sanitation).

-------------- --------------
Water and Sanitation - October 22 meeting in Islamabad
-------------- --------------

3. On October 22, the USAID/DART Water and Sanitation
Officer (WSO) attended the water and sanitation cluster
meeting and reported that the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF)
and other members of the water sanitation sector are
aggressively addressing water and sanitation needs in
earthquake affected areas. While water issues are being
successfully addressed as relief organizations gain access
to affected populations, sanitation related interventions
are not as aggressively implemented. Therefore, the water
and sanitation cluster group is promoting sanitation
interventions in affected areas and making sanitation the
primary focus of the water and sanitation sector. The
cluster group believes the focus by relief organizations on
safe water interventions without a corresponding aggressive
sanitation intervention campaign will place the affected
populations at risk of gastro-intestinal diseases. The
cluster group is actively promoting sanitation and has
stated that future meetings shall be devoted to strategizing
and identifying solutions to sanitation related issues.

4. The water and sanitation cluster group's plan to address
needs in rural areas is to establish supply centers in
valleys where water treatment Qets, soap, and water
containers will be distributed and hygiene education will
occur. These activities are a priority due to the
possibility that rural residents may soon be isolated due to
winter weather. The plan for urban areas is to meet SPHERE
standards in urban camp settings, focusing on sanitation
interventions such as latrine construction, soap
distribution, and hygiene promotion.

5. UNICEF stated there is a shortage of pre-fabricated
latrine slabs. Oxfam is supplying 1,000 plastic slabs, and
UNICEF has contracted with a metal shop in Islamabad for the
construction of 1,000 metal latrine slabs. The metal shop
reported to UNICEF that they could construct 100 slabs per
day. If the metal slabs prove acceptable, UNICEF hopes to
contract with other metal shops to increase production.

6. UNICEF is facilitating water and sanitation cluster
meetings three times weekly in the humanitarian relief hubs
of Muzaffarabad and Mansehra. Cluster meetings have
unofficially started in the hubs of Batagram, Bagh, and
Balakot. Water sanitation meetings in these areas are
facilitated by NGO entities designated by UNICEF with the
approval of the sector cluster. Leads in the three hubs are
as follows: Batagram-Life for Relief and Development; Bagh-
Islamic Relief; Balakot- Oxfam. UNICEF stated that water
sanitation interventions will be directed at the district
level.

7. UNICEF stated that the greatest immediate need is human
resources. UNICEF is expanding its water and sanitation
staff to nine employees and hopes to increase the number of
national water and sanitation specialists on their staff.
UNICEF stated that the present numbers of relief workers
addressing water sanitation issues in country is inadequate
for the huge area affected by the earthquake. The cluster
group hopes to see an increase in NGO presence in-country
over the next several weeks.
-------------- ---
Water and Sanitation - Meetings in Muzaffarabad
-------------- --------------

8. On October 24, the USAID/DART conducted a survey of the
water and sanitation situation in Muzaffarabad and observed
that the streets were relatively free of large piles of
solid waste. Residents were observed obtaining water from
public water taps. The USAID/DART tested water from the
piped water system, and the test indicated the water was
treated with chlorine. There was no evidence of open
defecation in public areas visited by team members.

9. A U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) medical officer
in Muzaffarabad told the USAID/DART WSO that the infectious
disease surveillance system revealed no unusual increases in
communicable diseases in the areas reporting data. The WHO
medical officer stated that sanitation in rural areas is a
concern, and WHO is adding a water and sanitation specialist
to the WHO team to improve its technical capacity in
sanitation intervention activities.

10. The Oxfam Public Health Coordinator stated that Oxfam
and the local government have initiated a solid waste clean-
up program which had been very effective. Oxfam supported
the local government in re-establishing solid waste
collection and is having community clean-up campaigns. The
Public Health Coordinator stated that Oxfam is heavily
involved in providing water and building latrines. Oxfam
has built 89 community latrines at camps in Muzaffarabad.
Oxfam reported that there were not many people in the camps,
and most people are staying near their homes or have left to
go to Islamabad.

11. The CRS Water Sanitation Specialist stated that CRS is
no longer providing water sanitation services in
Muzaffarabad. CRS is focusing water sanitation
interventions on rural and semi-urban areas.

--------------
Food and Nutrition
--------------


12. On October 21, a U.S. Embassy/Pakistan representative
attended the food and nutrition cluster group meeting and
reported that cluster group participants are still uncertain
as to how food will actually get to people in affected
areas. The group reported that the U.N. Joint Logistics
Center (UNJLC) and the U.N. Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS)
needs to double and triple some of their services,
especially air capacity within Pakistan. As the weather
starts to changes, ration requirements will change. WFP
will try to incorporate this information into its plans.
WFP hopes that its aerial assessments will be able to
produce a need assessment of what food is needed, what
bridges and roads are accessible, etc. by October 26. WFP
is putting together a strategy Qhall (tent warehouse)
storage capacity at the three hubs in Mansehra,
Muzaffarabad, and Bagh. WFP plans to have a 45-day supply
of food at each rubhall hub.

--------------
Health
--------------


13. The USAID/DART Health Officer (HO) reported that a 100-
bed ICRC hospital in Muzaffarabad opened on October 21.
ICRC is tracking the names of family members and villages,
and if a child is under the age of 15, an adult may remain
with the child in the hospital. The ICRC hospital started
receiving patients on October 21.


14. The Abbas hospital in Muzaffarabad received 787
patients on October 20. The hospital was damaged, but
reopened a few days after the earthquake and has received a
total of 10,549 patients since then. Abbas hospital
currently has zero bed capacity and is two to three days
from stopping intake of new patients.


15. Many are encouraging the medical quote tent village end
quote idea due to the lack of capacity at the Abbas
hospital. The GOP is starting a basic health unit. The
establishment of a U.S. MASH started on October 21. The
hospital will be located at the Prime Minister's
Secretariat. The U.S. MASH will be able to start surgeries

SIPDIS
by the evening of October 25.


16. The Ministry of Health (MOH) plans to immunize 120,000
people against measles, tuberculosis (TB),diphtheria-
pertussis-tetanus (DPT),and polio. Vitamin A distributions
are also occurring. The MOH mobilized four mobile health
teams on October 21, and started a health unit in Bagh and
Relakot on the same day.
--------------
Logistics and Coordination
--------------


17. The USAID/DART U.N. Liaison officer (UNLO) reported
that the U.N. and the Pakistani military have developed a
long-term six-week transportation plan. The plan will be
presented to the GOP for approval on October 25. Under this
plan, all critical items such as shelter materials,
emergency relief supplies, and food would be transported
from Islamabad to Abbottabad primarily by truck. At
Abbottabad, the Pakistani military and U.N. would establish
a heavy lift capacity helicopter base. From Abbottabad,
heavy helicopters would be used to move goods to four
locations: Batagram, Naran, Muzaffarabad, and Chakothi.
From these four locations, smaller helicopters would be used
to transport items to villages at higher elevations and
valleys.

18. The USAID/DART reports that as of October 24, the U.N.
currently has 5 MI-8 helicopters in country, and they are
expecting 3 additional Chinook CH-47s in the next 24 hours.
These Chinooks were provided by the U.K. Royal Air Force and
donated by the United Kingdom's Department for International
Development (DFID)


19. On October 24, the USAID/DART team facilitated the
movement of excess U.S. military commodities to include
15,000 blankets to GOAL for distribution in Bagh, 43 tents
to UNICEF, 1,536 sleeping bags and 840 cases of rations to
Mercy Corps, and 107 cartons of medical supplies to WHO. Of
the 43 tents, 22 will be transported to Muzaffarabad and 21
to Mansehra. These medium-sized tents will be used for
schools.


20. The USAID/DART UNLO reported that UNHAS plans to
schedule a meeting with militaries who have flight capacity
in Pakistan. This includes the Pakistani, Japanese, German,
American, and British militaries. The meeting will also
include the U.N. and international organizations. The UNLO
spoke to the Joint Task Force (JTF) Liaison Officer (LNO) at
the Civil Military Coordination cell to request that the
U.S. military possibly play a role in the planning of this
meeting.


21. The U.N. has three hubs in Mansehra, Muzaffarabad, and
Bagh. One-thousand NATO troops will be arriving on October

24. This mixed battalion will include engineering and
medical specialists, and they will be focusing on road
infrastructure, latrines, and clearing land for temporary
shelters and structures.

--------------
Tent Cities
--------------


22. According to local media reports, the Cabinet Committee
on Earthquake Relief, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation has
decided to set up two quote tent cities end quote for
earthquake victims. The committee has decided that these
tent cities will be in Fateh Jang and Chakal. The tent
cities will have electricity, water, and health, and
education services.

--------------
USAID/DART Assessments
--------------


23. On October 23 and 24, the USAID/DART in Muzaffarabad
examined damage in Muzaffarabad. While the team observed
many destroyed buildings, streets were clear of debris and a
large number of businesses were open. The team observed
many customers visiting shops. Goods being sold included
large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables and freshly
butchered meat. Streets were clogged with traffic including
large commercial trucks transporting food, dry goods, and
animal fodder. The team saw residents rehabilitating
buildings and clearing debris and rubble. The team's
interpreter reported that food is being sold on the market
in Muzaffarabad at 10 percent above the pre-earthquake
price.


CROCKER