Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ISLAMABAD17421
2005-11-25 11:44:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:  

PAKISTAN - EARTHQUAKE: USAID/DART SITUATION REPORT

Tags:  EAID AEMR ASEC MASS ECON KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ISLAMABAD 017421 

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 JONATHAN DWORKEN
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
15: THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE IN EARTHQUAKE-AFFECTED AREAS

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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ISLAMABAD 017421

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 JONATHAN DWORKEN
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
15: THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE IN EARTHQUAKE-AFFECTED AREAS

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


1. With the onset of winter, some Pakistanis living at
higher elevations are beginning to relocate temporarily to
lower elevations. The USAID Disaster Assistance Response
Team (DART) has received reports, however, of people moving
not just from the mountains to camps at lower elevations,
but also from the camps back up to the mountains. Movement
varies by district, as well as by location within the
district. This population movement is likely the result of
a number of factors, including the need to find food and
shelter during the winter months, Government of Pakistan
(GOP) payments for earthquake-related losses, seasonal
migration patterns, and the lack of basic services in some
tent camps. Agencies providing humanitarian aid must
structure their programs to take into account population
movement. As additional information regarding population
movements becomes available, the USAID/DART will adjust
funding as necessary. End summary.

--------------
Background
--------------


2. With the onset of winter, some Pakistanis living at

higher elevations are beginning to relocate temporarily to
lower elevations. The percentage of the population that
relocates for the winter varies throughout the country. The
October 8 earthquake has disrupted typical movement patterns
this year.

--------------
Movements of People within Pakistan
--------------


3. The USAID/DART has received reports of people moving not
just from the mountains to the camps but also from camps at
lower elevations back up to the mountains. Movement varies
by district and location within the district. On November
13, a representative of USAID/Pakistan reported that in
Mansehra, approximately 90 percent of people from the
northern Kaghan Valley intended to leave the valley within
the week. However, this pattern is a part of an annual
migration pattern, as the winters at elevations in the
northern Kaghan Valley are harsh. Approximately 30 percent
of people who live in the southern and central Kaghan Valley
have already left their homes. In some parts of Mansehra,
up to half of the people who left in the aftermath of the
earthquake have returned to their homes, and as of November
13, people living in this area continue to return. In the
Kala Dhaka Tribal Area, however, less than 5 percent of the
population has left their homes as people in this area are
essentially self-sufficient and typically do not leave home.


4. A representative of USAID/Pakistan reported that in
Batagram tehsil, approximately 10 percent of people living
in isolated areas have left for other locations. Most of
these people have joined family members elsewhere in
Pakistan, and people who have not left have expressed an
intention to remain.


5. In Allai tehsil, approximately 10 percent of the
population has left for other locations, with most going to
Mehra Tent Camp. A USAID/Pakistan representative reported
that as temperatures drop, more people will continue to
leave their homes, although it is unlikely that 50 percent
of the population in this area will leave, as the GOP
military predicts.

--------------
Reasons for Population Movements
--------------


6. Recent population movement in Pakistan is likely the
result of a number of factors, although the most basic
reason is to find shelter and food. In addition, some
individuals or families are likely moving in order to claim
GOP payments for earthquake-related loss. Further, seasonal
migration is a traditional coping mechanism of many who live
at higher altitudes. The USAID/DART has also observed that
in some areas of Pakistan, people living in tent camps have
returned to the site of their former homes.


7. GOP Payments for Earthquake-Related Loss: One of the
factors affecting Pakistanis' movements is the GOP's
commitment to disburse funds to those affected by the
earthquake. On November 11, President Musharraf announced
that the GOP would immediately disburse 100,000 Pakistani
Rupees (PKR),which is approximately USD 1,666, to the next
of kin of those who died in the earthquake, PKR 50,000 (USD
833) to people injured in the earthquake, and PKR 25,000
(USD 416) to those whose houses were damaged or destroyed.
According to a USAID/Pakistan representative in Mansehra,
reports from the field suggest that the GOP's progress with
the monetary distributions is mixed.


8. A USAID/Pakistan representative reported that in
earthquake-affected areas, district governments have
received funds to make payments for deaths of family
members. District governments are organizing payment
disbursal. Each district government appears to be
disbursing funds differently. Among districts, the progress
at which disbursal is proceeding varies.


9. As of November 14, Pakistani citizens who lost property
in the earthquake had not received compensation.
Compensation for the loss of loved ones, however, was being
paid in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Batagram, and Shangla.
District officials who spoke with USAID claimed that
payments will continue until the available GOP funds run out
or all victims are compensated.


10. While some people can claim payments in camps, others
are required to return to their villages to collect their
compensation. In Mansehra and Abbottabad, affected people
can file a claim in any union council in the district.
Before payment is made, the claim is verified against the
record in the union council where the death occurred. In
Batagram, people filing a claim must do so in the union
council where the death occurred. Officials from Batagram
district have stated that they have no way of cross-checking
records from offices elsewhere in the district. Payment is
particularly complicated for those who have moved from
Battgram's Allai Tehsil to Mehra Camp, which is located in
the neighboring Shangla district. Shangla claims that it
will make immediate payments based on a death certificate
issued within the district boundaries that identifies
earthquake as the cause of death.


11. Seasonal Migration: The USAID/DART has received numerous
reports that people in certain areas of Pakistan, especially
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK),have two and sometimes three
homes at varying altitudes. This allows them to move to
lower altitudes as temperatures drop. The USAID/DART is
unable to ascertain the extent to which current movement is
part Pakistanis' annual migration patterns.


12. Lack of Basic Services in Tent Camps: The USAID/DART has
received reports of individuals in tent camps returning to
their home sites, even though the homes were damaged or
destroyed. At this time, the USAID/DART cannot definitively
ascertain the reason for people's departure from camps to
their home sites; however, the USAID/DART believes that this
is likely due to lack of water and sanitation, shelter,
food, or other basic services in certain camps.

--------------
Implications for Relief Efforts
--------------


13. Because affected populations continue to be mobile more
than a month after the October 8 earthquake, agencies
providing humanitarian aid must structure programs to take
into account this population movement. The USAID/DART, GOP,
and relief organizations are structuring relief efforts
around a two-pronged strategy. The USAID/DART, GOP and
relief organizations are simultaneously delivering relief
commodities to hard-to-reach areas in order to promote
shelter in place. At the same time, those providing
humanitarian aid are also attempting to provide basic
services to tent camps to encourage people in need of
shelter to relocate temporarily to camps.


14. Through the use of its Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) Coordinator from the interagency Humanitarian
Information Unit of the State Department, the USAID/DART is
also guiding partners to identify and assist areas of the
greatest unmet needs. The Disaster Assistance Center (DAC)
established by the US military has provided the USAID/DART
with maps, indicating areas where earthquake destruction,
lack of road access, and population density intersect, which
roughly represent areas of greatest unmet needs. Supported
by these maps and the GIS coordinator, the USAID/DART is
strategically programming resources by guiding NGO partners
to target assistance in the areas identified. This critical
collaboration among USG agencies and NGOs will enhance the
impact and efficiency of USAID/DART program funds.


15. Through funding to its implementing partners, the
USAID/DART follows this two-pronged strategy, both providing
basic services to tent camps and delivering relief
commodities in hard-to-reach areas. The USAID/DART
maintains that current programming must focus on supplying
those who will stay at higher elevations with shelter or
shelter materials, sufficient to protect them against the
winter weather. If many of the affected people do come into
camps, the USAID/DART will adjust funding and shift program
focus to camp situations if necessary. The USAID/DART
continues to monitor the movement of people within Pakistan.
As additional information becomes available, the USAID/DART
will adjust funding accordingly to ensure that assistance
reaches affected communities.


CROCKER