07 April 2006

On the eve of the six-month anniversary of the South Asia earthquake that devastated areas of India and Pakistan, ActionAid is warning that the winter may be over but survivors now face an even greater challenge - rebuilding their lives and homes.
 
ActionAid Head of Emergencies, Roger Yates, said: "The effort to protect homeless survivors from the winter was a great success. The generosity of people in the UK has helped agencies save many lives.

"ActionAid alone was able to supply vulnerable communities with more than 3,000 shelters, almost 10,000 blankets and treat more than 16,000 people in our medical camps.

"Six months on, the challenge is now to help survivors rebuild their houses, livelihoods and communities. It is important that we do not underestimate the size of the task."

The October 8 earthquake hit an area the size of Scotland, destroying or damaging over half of all homes and two thirds of all schools and colleges.
 
In the last week the Pakistani government has started encouraging people to return to their homes by closing down refugee camps and linking compensation to reconstruction.
 
But survivors are returning to towns without roads, schools and water supplies. Many are jobless, suffering from trauma or have a relative left disabled by the quake. The cost of materials and labour has shot up and by July monsoon rains will once again make access to remote areas difficult.
 
To meet the challenge of reconstruction ActionAid Pakistan is setting up 20 community centres in the affected areas. These will be places for communities to discuss reconstruction and for survivors to train in new skills, like masonry or carpentry, and receive psychosocial counselling and health support. In Shumlai, in the North West Frontier Province, ActionAid supported the rebuilding of a vital water mill.

In India, ActionAid is running a cash for work program in more than 10 villages, providing survivors with a wage in exchange for labour on collective rebuilding projects. In Kalsan, in Indian administered Kashmir, survivors are clearing rubble from an important link road to other towns and a market. 5,000 apple trees have been planted in the area, boosting the local economy and protecting the environment.

The Pakistani authorities and governments across the world also have a part to play. Yates said: "The Pakistani authorities need to provide communities practical help, ensure the compensation process is fair and transparent and take a lead in town planning and rebuilding infrastructure. "ActionAid is also calling on foreign governments to continue to back the reconstruction by giving the country full access to the $5.827 billion that countries, including the UK, pledged in November."