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Pakistan

Tents sent to quake-hit Pakistan not fit for harsh winter, says IOM

Islamabad (dpa) - The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) warned on Monday that almost 75 per cent of the tents delivered to quake-hit areas of Pakistan were not suitable for severe winter conditions.
''Of the 309,000 tents distributed among the homeless in the quake-ravaged regions, almost 75 per cent is non-winterised and requires retrofitting with stoves, flysheets and ground sheets,'' Brunson McKinley, IOM Director-General told reporters in Islamabad.

The IOM is coordinating efforts by 43 bodies - including U.N., Pakistani and international aid agencies - to provide emergency shelter to residents of quake-hit areas before the onset of winter.

''We like to get people what they need to survive,'' McKinley said. ''We are giving it our best shot.''

Under the ''Winter Race'' programme, the organisation has delivered 10,000 shelter kits to quake survivors. These kits comprise sheets of corrugated galvanized iron, nails, wire, buckets, rolls of plastic sheeting, tarpaulin and other non-food items.

October's massive earthquake in Pakistan's Northwestern Frontier Province (NWFP) and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir killed 73,000 people and left 3.5 million others homeless.

McKinley said the IOM planned to set up a factory in the quake-ravaged northern Battagram region to manufacture building components.

''We have experienced this (factory building) in Aceh (Indonesia) which was very useful,'' McKinley said, adding: ''It will provide employment to the locals as well.''

Like the United Nations, IOM has been appealing for aid for its relief operations.

''We still need about 3.8 million dollars until the end of the year (for our budget),'' Darren Boisvert, IOM spokesman, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. dpa kh cb sc

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