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WEEKLY
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| Beyond the debris |
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Friday, October 31, 2008
The death toll from Wednesday's quake that hit north-west Balochistan, particularly the Ziarat and Pishin districts, has risen to 236. Many believe it may rise further, as bodies are dug out from under the rubble of villages annihilated by the disaster. Forty-four aftershocks have already been felt. They add to the misery of thousands of people who have spent the night beneath open skies and are likely to do so again. While an estimated 15,000 have been rendered homeless and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) says 2,000 houses have been destroyed, many other survivors in Ziarat and areas around it have been too terrified to move back into homes, fearing a new quake. Many had no tents or blankets to protect them from temperatures that dropped several degrees below freezing point in affected areas.
A large-scale relief effort, by the government, the military, specialized organizations such as the NDMA, international organizations and local NGOs – assisted by hundreds of volunteers – is underway. As we have seen before, people have been ready to do all they can to help. Villagers rushed to stricken areas to help dig out bodies, students from Quetta and other towns in Balochistan headed to hospitals and quake-hit areas to offer what help they could. Many with medical expertise offered their services. There essential goodness of ordinary people was revealed once again.
But the quake has also exposed other facets that require more consideration. Responding with the same arrogance that was shown after the floods of 2007 in Balochistan, the chairman of the NDMA insisted this was a 'localized' disaster that Pakistan could deal with on its own. He said there would be no appeal for international help. Mercifully, countries including the US, Canada and Kuwait and organizations such as the UN and International Committee of the Red Cross have volunteered money and assistance. The danger is that had they not done so, affected people would have been denied the expertise and coordinated relief that such groups can bring. Their efforts have been crucial in the aftermath of many global disasters. For reasons that are both humanitarian and political, Pakistan's authorities must do all they possibly can to ensure quake victims from the country's least developed province receive maximum help. If they fail, the costs will be high both in terms of suffering and the longer-term bitterness that people who feel neglected are certain to experience, adding another stream to the angry currents of discontent that race through Balochistan today.
The other matter that has received much media attention is the fact that little had been done to protect Quetta and surrounding areas, despite the fact that they are known to lie on an active seismic zone. Some reports even say the Met office had warned the government of the need to take precautionary measures, after new findings following the 2005 quake disaster in the northern areas. This advice of course was not acted on. Safer housing, built along models used in quake-prone zones in Japan or California, could have saved lives. Even awareness about what to do in case of a quake could contribute to reducing deaths and injuries. Such negligence is inexcusable. Measures must be taken now to make quake-prone areas across the country safer for their inhabitants and by doing so demonstrating a genuine commitment to the welfare of people who survive in primitive mud dwellings, deprived of health care and the modern amenities of life that mark human progress.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
