IRIN
PAKISTAN: Bad weather besieges quake zone
13 March 2007


ISLAMABAD, 13 March 2007 (IRIN) - Shelters for 35,000 Pakistani 
earthquake survivors have been "winterised", but supplies to mountainous 
areas are threatened by rain and snow, which are cutting off key 
communication links, aid workers say.

The 35,000 quake-displaced people continue to live in 48 tented camps 
both in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and 
Pakistani-administered Kashmir, according to Jan Vandemoortele, United 
Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan.

In preparation for winter conditions, aid agencies strengthened tents by 
covering them with wooden structures and a combination of plastic 
sheeting and corrugated iron sheets on the roofs.

But keeping the roads clear of snow and landslides remains a key 
challenge for local authorities and the international aid community 17 
months after the disaster. Many quake survivors in remote mountain 
villages largely rely on supplies from low-lying areas.

"The winterisation [process] has been completed, but we are still 
monitoring [the situation] and prepared to deal with any kind of 
situation," said a spokesman for the Norwegian Refugee Council, involved 
in camp management in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani-administered 
Kashmir.

Initial reports say that land routes heading to remote areas in Neelum, 
Jhelum and Leepa valleys in Pakistani-administered Kashmir had been 
blocked, while roads in the Siran, Kaghan and Allai valleys of NWFP were 
closed at several points.

The heavy rains and snowfall that began on Friday also affected 
telephone and electric lines in the area.

According to Monday's weather forecast from Pakistan's meteorological 
department, unfavourable weather conditions were expected to continue 
throughout most of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, as well as NWFP 
and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

More than 80,000 people died and another 3.5 million were made homeless 
when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake ripped through 30,000 square kilometers 
of northern Pakistan on 8 October 2005.


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