OCHA Situation Report No. 45
Pakistan - Earthquake
2 June 2006


Today the ERRA - UN Early Recovery Plan is being launched in
Muzaffarabad. The event is being attended by UN Resident and
Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Jan Vandemoortele, and the Head of field
based UN Agencies in Muzaffarabad, the Director General of SERRA (ERRA
in PAK) and other District Government officials.

The District Reconstruction Units (DRUs), the coordination entities at
the field level, called and chaired the first Head of Working Groups
meeting on 2 June in Muzaffarabad.

The priorities of humanitarian operations are: (i) identification of
transitional camps for residual caseload and monitoring IDP returns;
(ii) provision of essential services in places of origin and residual
camps; (iii) mitigation of unbearable heat conditions in tents; (iv)
carrying out the return barrier survey; and (v) articulation of a
relocation plan for at least 18 villages proved to be lying in high risk
areas of landslides and floods.

SITUATION OVERVIEW:

Security

The overall security situation remained calm in the earthquake-affected
areas.

IDP Returns and Residual Caseload

As of 27 May, more than 80% of the families in IDP camps have returned
to their places of origin, compared to 76% reported on 13 May. The
breakdown of IDP returns is as follows: Bagh 86%, Batagram 97%, Mansehra
94% and Muzaffarabad 78%.

>From camps in Islamabad 84 % IDPs have returned to their places of
origin.

IOM assisted return process has officially come to an end by 31 May.
Lack of information regarding policy for the IDPs who lost land through
landslides continues to be an issue of concern.

In Mansehra, camp management responsibilities in Meira have been
transferred to the civil authorities, albeit the security situation has
to be closely monitored.

Plans for consolidation of camps have been initiated in Muzaffarabad and
it is anticipated that by early June the consolidation shall be
completed.

The Government informed that 12,334 families or 52,730 families need to
be urgently evacuated and relocated from 18 villages in Muzaffarabad
district before the raining season. They will not be relocated to the
existing camps but to new camps that need to be established on recently
identified private land.

According to Camp Management Organisation (CMO), with the relocation of
52,000 a total caseload of 91,000 needs to be catered in camps in
Muzaffarabad until March 2007

UN Base Camps

WFP Islamabad has advised that all three UN Base Camps (Bagh, Batagram,
Muzaffarabad) will be retained until 31 August.

ERRA - UN Early Recovery Plan

The ERRA - UN Early Recovery Plan is being launched in the Hubs. On 2
June, the Recovery Plan has been launched in Muzaffarabad and will be
launched in Mansehra soon after.

Phasing Out of OCHA

OCHA Mansehra Office closed on 31 May 2006 and a National Humanitarian
Affairs Officer was seconded to the District Reconstruction Unit,
Mansehra. Disaster Preparedness- In Muzaffarabad, a Disaster
Preparedness Workshop was conducted on 30 May, which was attended by the
District Coordination Officer, CMO, OCHA Head of Office, and key senior
officials of the Government involved in disaster preparedness, planning
and management.

WORKING GROUP UPDATE

CAMP MANAGEMENT

1. The Camp Management Organisation (CMO) asked agencies to help
overcome the unbearable heat conditions in the transitional camps.
UNICEF and Mercy Corps will stop the provision of tankering water to the
camps by 1 July 2006. UNICEF will hold meeting with CMO and Local
Government Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department (LGRRD) to
discuss the possibility of providing pipe water to the camps.

2. The District Government in Mansehra has informed that support to
spontaneous camps is being discouraged. The vulnerable population in
these camps must move to the two transitional camps. Moreover, it was
decided in the Task Force Meeting that services to these camps be
gradually reduced in order to prevent them becoming permanent
settlements. UNHCR informed that the returns barrier survey of the
residual population should be completed in one week. This would further
assist the Government in addressing key barriers.

WATER AND SANITATION

3. UNICEF and WHO have prepared a hygiene-training manual that will be
used for the training of hygiene promoters in the camps and rural areas.
UNICEF finalised the ToR to handover the cluster responsibilities to the
Local Government Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department (LGRRD).

4. Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) granted
a 'No Objection Certificate' (NOC) to UNICEF for 289 and Mercy Corp for
35 drinking water supply schemes.. These schemes are for Mansehra,
Balakot and Oghi. Furthermore, ERRA has prepared a work plan for the
permanent rehabilitation of 515 water supply infrastructures.

HEALTH

5. In Mansehra, 4 Basic Health Units (BHUs) have been completed by the
international community while 3 BHUs are in the pipeline. The Health
Department has prioritised 46 health facilities. UNICEF has made a
commitment to assist with 15 health facilities for which a NOC is
required from ERRA.

6. UNHCR has provided 450 Corrugated Galvanized Iron (CGI) sheets to the
Health Department in Mansehra. Other materials are now required such as
angle iron, cement and labour. The total cost of the material is
approximately Rs 300,000 for which the department has requested support
from the international community.

EDUCATION

7. In Mansehra, UNICEF has provided tents to 1,399 primary and middle
schools out of a total of 1,499 schools. The Executive District Officer
(EDO), Education, informed that the department had received 772 tents
out of the 2,400 tents that ERRA has committed. Education Department
will regularly send the progress report to the Information Centre for
further dissemination to the concerned quarters.

FOOD AND NUTRITION

8. WFP is in contact with Camp Management Organisation (CMO) regarding
the possible date for the determination of the final residual caseloads
in camps and for the start of food distribution.

PROTECTION

9. A meeting was held in H-11 camp in which Camp Management Organisation
(CMO) of PAK informed that the return package will be given to only
those IDPs who are going back to their places of origin or to residual
camps. The return package shall be declined to those who are planning to
migrate to local areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

10. Plans are underway to shift the affected population of Balakot Town
to Bakrial.

LIVELIHOODS

8. FAO is planning three workshops for partner agencies in June. The
purpose of the workshops is to bring together NGOs, line departments,
ERRA, PERRA / SERRA (ERRA in NWFP and PAK) representatives working on
livelihoods for developing sustainable livelihoods framework.

LOGISTICS

9. UNJLC will cease its operations on 30 June. However, UNJLC will
maintain a rudimentary presence in the hubs Muzaffarabad, Mansehra and
Bagh during the month of June.

10. UNHAS has ceased air operations as of 31 May.

WEATHER AND ACCESSIBILTY

11. There is a growing concern of landslides in the wake of monsoon
rains.

GENERAL INFORMATION

12. All detailed cluster information (meeting minutes, assessments,
contact information etc.) is being posted on www.un.org.pk .

13. The latest information on projects and funding for the Flash Appeal,
and for the emergency overall, can be found on the Financial Tracking
Service
(http://ocha.unog.ch/fts/reports/reportlist.asp?section=CE&record_ID=688).
Further information on earthquake appeals and funding is available on
ReliefWeb
(http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc105?OpenForm&rc=3&emid=EQ-2005-000174-PAK).

14. Contact details of focal points for information on in-kind and cash
contributions can be found at http://www.un.org.pk/earthquake05/ .

15. OCHA will revert with further information as it becomes available.
This situation report, together with further information on ongoing
emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at
http://www.reliefweb.int.

16. Regular news on Pakistan is available from IRIN via the website
www.IRINnews.org and direct e-mail subscription. Agencies wishing to
contribute news article suggestions, press releases and reports with
IRIN should send them to the IRIN Asia office: IRINasia@IRINnews.org,
Tel +90-312 454 1177.

Tel:  +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers:
  Ms. Guido Galli direct Tel. +41-22-917-3171
  Mr. Michael Meier direct Tel. +41-22-917-1159

Press contact:
  GVA - Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel. +41-22-917-2653
  NYC - Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1-917-367-5126


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