In March 2006, people in the camps were returned to their villages, but the rebuilding process had not yet started.
Today, the situation hasn’t changed much. However, once again, the harshness of the winter threatens a population that has not yet recovered from the consequences of the earthquake.
Other crises now overshadow
The team of Médecins du Monde (MdM, and also known as Doctors of the World), followed these displaced people returning from the camps to their villages of origin. The MdM mission aimed at stabilising their health, while also listening to their stories.
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We wish to share here the testimony of these victims from some of the most devastated valleys. These men, women and children have endured monsoons, landslides, economic problems and complications with procedures for rebuilding, all in-between two winter seasons.
Throughout the last year, Médecins du Monde endeavoured to follow and support the disaster victims. Medical teams first operated in various camps of displaced people in the capital
Then came the moment when the displaced people had to return towards their places of origin. Médecins du Monde decided to follow these people into the Kaghan Valley to enable them to stabilise their health, until the resumption of public services coming into operation.
The Kaghan valley is a relatively small zone but is one of the areas among the most severely hit by the earthquake. Moreover, access today is often blocked due to destroyed roads or landslides.
Today a medical programme is in place with two clinics in the valleys of Manoor and Bhoonja, and there are three mobile clinics in the villages of Mohandri, Lohar Banda and Khanian to cater for a population of approximately 50,000 people.
In addition to an average of 550 consultations per week in curative and maternal & child healthcare, various medical projects have been set up, such as: surveillance of malnutrition, health promotion, immunisation, epidemiological surveillance or emergencies follow-up and financial assistance for transport to medical reference centres.
Médecins du Monde has witnessed the daily struggle of the population from these valleys since the earthquake. A ‘protection team’ carried out a survey among 400 heads of household back in their valley. This report, the figures (available in the hard-copy format of the document - please request from press office) and the first-hand testimonies, are the result of this follow-up and of these talks.
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This report is based on a survey carried out by the Médecins du Monde team which interviewed 400 heads of households (approx. 3,200 individuals) during May, June, July and August 2006 in Mohandri Union Council in the Kaghan Valley - District of Mansehra.
This protection work is also linked with medical concerns, namely : food safety and accommodation sanitary conditions for the next winter.
The data collected is fixed in time and thus dependent on the latest political developments and the actions carried out since the survey. The survey of Médecins du Monde and the testimonies quoted in the document have no other aim than to present the situation as described by the surveyed population. This description is geographically and methodologically located but should nevertheless be taken into account. Our methodology enables us to locate in the field all the people questioned by our team, if necessary.
"How will we protect our families?” Representative of the
The government and the international agencies committed themselves to providing humanitarian assistance after the earthquake. They did their best to accompany the population affected by the disaster. To manage a great number of people in the camps during the winter was the main goal of their actions. Today, a little late, the essential concern is the situation in the ‘areas of return’.
Given the challenge of reconstruction, a plan was defined by the authorities with four financial compensations to be granted for the private rebuilding of destroyed houses. This model seems to satisfy the concerned people and all the actors committed in the process. Because of the earthquake risks, the government also tried to introduce rules on where and how to rebuild safer buildings. In certain cases, this has even resulted in moving a whole city.
However, in spite of the goodwill of the government and the international agencies, it seems that the former displaced people still encounter great difficulties to rebuild a decent shelter in order to protect themselves from the next winter.
01. The need for a shelter for the winter
One just has to go into the valleys today to see what the situation is there. Most of the people questioned still live under tents. This type of shelter will not be suitable anymore to survive during next winter which is predicted to be very harsh. For 72% of the people questioned the greatest concern, which is also considered as a matter of urgency, is the rebuilding of their houses and shelters.
“We are afraid because time passes, the winter approaches and we do not know how we will cope to protect our families.”
A representative of the
Victims of the earthquake hope to be under a roof as quickly as possible, before the threatening winter, but they meet a great number of difficulties despite their haste.
02. A very precarious economic situation
Heavily hit by the economic consequences of the earthquake, the population of the valleys faces serious financial problems which endanger it in terms of food safety and involve chain reactions. According to our investigation, 32% of the questioned heads of household do not have incomes any more; 59% lost their herd - source of income and food (milk, meat…); and 61% could not guarantee their full harvests for various reasons.
“We do not have money and we are obliged to borrow from close relations to buy food. We have already spent our first cheque of compensation on food, and now we have already debts on the second cheque. But we do not have other choices; we do not have work.”
A farmer in the
Facing this dramatic economic situation, it becomes difficult to start rebuilding of houses. Those who already started are stopped mid-way, lacking resources. The distribution of the four compensation grants is underway, but the delay accumulated in the process endangers the reconstruction itself … and all of this is happening before this winter arrives. Moreover, the compensations made available by the government at the bank counters are not given out all at once in their entirety to the recipients. 85% of the people questioned are always on standby waiting for the second cheque, in order to be able to start or continue the construction of their accommodation.
“We do not have any more money to nourish our family or to rebuild a house. We lost everything during the last earthquake.”
A villager of Khanian
“I received my cheque well enough, but when I went downtown the bank did not want to give me all the amount at once. I had to go back there several times to finally be able to receive all my money.”
A teacher in the
