October 2005 earthquake
Rawalpindi: In the October 8, 2005 earthquake that is considered as the worst ever disaster in the region over a hundred years of history, the death toll reported was over 87,000 with more than 100,000 severely injured and the massive destruction that rendered about two million people homeless and another four million severely affected by the earthquake one way or the other.
The image of the day and the destruction, October 8 quake brought with it can hardly be wiped out of the memory for those who witnessed the day in senses. The earthquake brought the worst ever disaster in the areas stretching from Balakot in the northern part of the country to AJ&K through a violent shaking of the earth’s surface.
The killer earthquake on October 8, 2005 that was measured 7.6 on the Richter scale jolted the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi at around 08:52a.m. and almost turned upside down majority of the towns stretching right from Balakot to Battagram to Muzaffarabad in the northern part of the country and AJ&K. The earthquake damaged almost the whole infrastructure in the affected areas mainly in Bagh, Rawlakot and Muzaffarabad in AJ&K and Balakot and Kaghan valley along with a number of other towns in the northern mountainous range of the country.
The severity of the earthquake can be gauged by the fact that it wiped out a number of towns and villages completely from the face of the earth in northern part of the country and the population in the affected areas including the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi observed hundreds of aftershocks for over two months after October 8 in 2005.
Within twenty days after the earthquake, the affected areas had witnessed over 1,000 aftershocks with magnitude of 4.0 and above on the Richter scale. The worst ever disaster in the region damaged over 600,000 houses in the affected areas collapsing almost whole infrastructure in the worst affected areas in AJK and northern part of the country.
On the same day, October 8, 2005, the hospitals from Rawalpindi to Jhelum to Sialkot and even up to Sargodha started receiving heavy burden of victims and the influx of victims reaching allied hospitals in town from the worst affected areas did not lower for nearly two months.
Well over 700 victims were taken to the allied hospitals in town including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital (named Rawalpindi General Hospital in 2005) and District Headquarters Hospital just within a single day after the earthquake.
According to details, after two months of the massive earthquake, the number of victims who reached at allied hospitals from the worst hit areas had crossed the figure of 5,500 whereas the death toll was 88. Major surgeries including complex surgeries involving compound fractures (fractures with open wounds) and plastic surgeries performed at the allied hospitals were recorded as well over 2,000.
Obviously, it was general public that responded first to the situation immediately after reports of the earthquake all across the country. Countless relief camps were set up by individuals even on the same day, on October8, particularly in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
More than 300 relief camps set up by individuals or groups from among the general public could be seen even on the same day, October 8, in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
In the words of those who have witnessed the October 8 quake, here in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi or in the worst affected areas, such a show of devotion and humanity occurs rarely and it is absolutely true to what the general public did for the affectees most of whom have left nothing to live on.
The earthquake exposed incapability of the health sector proving the existing health infrastructure at that time almost a complete failure. However, after the earthquake, the health department took serious measures to implement disaster management plans in all teaching hospitals enabling almost every hospital to deal with over 100 emergency cases in case of a disaster as the authorities claim. The allied hospitals in town had to use verandas to keep victims due to shortage of space.
The earthquake in 2005 brought a significant change in the lives of millions of people in the affected areas and convinced the concerned government authorities to devise policies to minimise losses in case of like disasters in future.
It is worth mentioning here that after 12 years of the disaster, the rehabilitation in one or the other way is still in process in the affected areas. The earthquake also changed the public attitude in the region particularly on the subject of thinking more seriously while building a house.
The government authorities in 2005 elaborated a lot on rehabilitation of quake survivors but did little. The then Punjab Minister for Local Government, Law and Parliamentary Affairs from PML (Q) Muhammad Basharat Raja, a resident of Rawalpindi announced (on October 16, 2006) that the Provincial government had planned to set up a tent village at Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) ground with 1,000 tents in the first phase of rehabilitation process for the earthquake survivors but the plan could never be materialised. Similarly many other political figures including the then District Nazim Rawalpindi Raja Javed Ikhlas also announced establishment of model villages and other like steps that merely proved to be lip service and nothing significant was done to facilitate more than 5,000 displaced families who reached here with a dream of having shelters in the twin cities. However, a few relief camps were set up in the town but most of them were due to efforts of NGOs, INGOs and social welfare groups.
At allied hospitals in town, it was almost all donations from public and NGOs that helped hospitals to treat unfortunate victims. From manpower, doctors, staff nurses, physiotherapists and psycho-sociologists, to rehabilitation equipment, medicines and kitchen services at the hospitals were provided mainly by the general public and NGOs.
It was a pride for general public while mentioning that none of the allied hospitals in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi faced shortage of blood pints in the aftermath of earthquake and it was all due to public response.
The distribution of meals and various types of foods arranged through public donations for earthquake victims and their attendants had become a routine scene in the premises of allied hospitals for over two months after the quake.
Many health experts are of the view that October 8 should be observed as unity day as it provides us an opportunity to tell nations of the world that people in Pakistan lives in strong bondage of brotherhood and harmony.
