ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority Chairman Major General Asghar Nawaz on Friday said the spell of rain and snowfall, forecast to start from November 1, could impede relief activities in parts of the earthquake-hit areas. He explained that assets of the armed forces and the Ministry of Interior were being used in operations that included eight helicopters, three C-130 aircraft and two Fokker planes. He noted that keeping in view the weather forecast, relief activities were being carried out. The Information and Broadcasting Minister, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, ruled out the possibility of any change in the route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He said there would be no change in the CPEC route because of threats of natural disasters, earthquakes. The minister and the NDMA chairman were talking to media persons here on the quake-related matters.Rashid asserted development work could not be stopped because of natural disasters. “We have to live in Pakistan and move forward,” he remarked. He said that like Pakistan, many countries was located on the fault lines but this did not mean countries could be relocated. The NDMA chief said that since the October 26 earthquake, as many as 67 aftershocks had been experienced and more were expected. He noted that the death toll of the earthquake had reached 271 while 2,227 persons were injured: of these, 224 died only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 1,860 were injured in the province. He pointed out that majority of those who lost their lives in the natural disaster consisted of females and children. Moreover, in Fata 30 people had died while 211 injured and 9,038 houses were also damaged in the tribal belt.Giving details of preliminary damages and losses, he said that a total of 35,492 houses were damaged and of these, 25,842 were located in KP. The NDMA chairman noted that majority of houses damaged were mud houses and located mostly in Chitral and Bajaur Agency.About food supplies, he pointed out that as after the floods, the army and the FC had been providing ration and this was distributed among the quake victims through the civil administration, which was also ensuring supply of food. The NDMA chief said that the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had released Rs2.8 billion for the quake victims. He said no one had died so far because of non-provision of relief. He said many houses were in dangerous condition and noted local bondage had played a key role in providing shelter and care to the earthquake affectees. He pointed out that occupancy in hospitals had come down below 30 per cent. He added survey teams were busy at union council level, gathering data of damages in the quake-affected areas, consisting of representatives from the Pakistan Army, local government and the district administration.
