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Pakistan

Pakistan earthquake: life begins to return to normal in remote valleys and villages

by Karl Schuler of the Swiss Red Cross, in the North-West Frontier Province

With the arrival of warmer weather, many of the survivors of last year's earthquake in Pakistan have returned to their villages, which are still in ruins.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is continuing to support the Pakistan Red Crescent Society in assisting survivors with reconstruction and health care.

The Indus River winds through a narrow canyon and then widens as it approaches a suspension bridge near the village of Jambera, in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.

In places where the current lets up a bit, children play water games - some paddle around on inner tubes while others dive for trout. Anyone watching this boisterous scene would find it hard to believe that six short months ago, this area was reduced to rubble by the quake, which killed over 73,000 people and made more than 3.5 million homeless.

In the village's heavily damaged mosque, the nasim, or village head, announces the arrival of a Red Cross Red Crescent medical team over a loudspeaker system. The team sets up their tent in the village square since the local medical dispensary, which was destroyed by the earthquake, will have to be rebuilt.

Since November 2005, a doctor, two nurses and two immunisation specialists have been paying weekly visits to Jambera, in Pakistan's Besham district, to provide medical care to local villagers. Around 10,000 people are estimated to live in the surrounding area, which stretches alongside the river and includes hamlets scattered high up on the steep mountain slopes.

This morning, 50 small children are immunized and 90 patients are examined by the team. Out of respect for traditional customs and traditions, the women are shown into the tent, while the men and children are taken care of outside.

Dysentery, respiratory ailments and skin rashes are some of the most common problems afflicting the quake survivors. Dr. Hayat Ali Shah explains that the team "doesn't simply hand out medicine". He says that they also make people aware of the need for good hygiene practices, such as boiling water for drinking.

The pipe that used to bring water from a mountain spring to the village was damaged by the earthquake and the water is still contaminated. Hydraulic engineers from the International Federation are expected to repair it in the coming weeks.

The International Federation has also set up two medical teams that travel all over the Besham area and visit eight villages on a regular basis.

Project Coordinator, Anne-Marie Delaney, says the two units will need to keep working until 2008, because rebuilding the region's destroyed health infrastructure will require more time.

"We are working with our Pakistani counterparts to improve women's and children's health," she explains. "Health education and the training of female health workers are two essential components of our activities."

Traditionally, women and girls can only be examined by other women, so female volunteers and health workers play a key role in ensuring that everyone affected by the earthquake has access to medical care.

Up on the steep slopes of the Allai Valley, terrace grain crops come in varying shades of green. The landscape is dotted with apricot and cherry trees in bloom.

In the distance, children watch over a group of grazing goats and sheep while humming a soft shepherd's tune. A mudslide caused by recent violent storms has blocked the usual path, so we travel the last few kilometres up the rugged mountainside on foot. It's an exhausting climb.

Over the next patch of rock, the scattered houses of Pashtoo village stretch out before us. The earthquake spared only a few buildings in the village. Using what remained of building walls, survivors used boards, tarpaulins and corrugated iron to create makeshift shelters, which helped them get through the winter.

With the arrival of spring, families who found refuge in a tent camp further down the mountain have also returned to the higher parts of the valley. All around, people are busy cutting stone blocks to repair their houses.

Jhangir Asslam and his five sons are preparing to rebuild their home.

To date, he has received 25,000 rupees, or around 500 Swiss francs, as part of the government's owner-driven housing reconstruction scheme. The authorities have promised to give a series of cash grants totalling around 175,000 rupees to individuals so they can rebuild their own homes.

"We want to have a roof over our heads by next winter," explains Jhangir. With a shelter built on his own patch of land, he'll be able to take care of his family thanks to a small herd of cows.

In March, the Red Cross Red Crescent team stationed in Banna, the main village in the Allai valley, stepped up its distribution of corrugated iron and shelter repair tools to villagers. During the first six months after the earthquake, around 14,000 families benefited from this form of aid.

The roofing materials, which were provided by the Swiss Red Cross, will come in handy during the transition period from spring to summer. When the monsoon season starts in July, temporary shelters will protect the inhabitants from the elements until more permanent homes can be built.

Over the longer term, the Red Cross Red Crescent also plans to invest in promoting healthcare and training volunteers, as it is already doing in Besham district.