Provision of tents to Jalozai IDPs starts
Posted by admin on June 26th, 2010
PESHAWAR: Issuance of new tents to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) at Jalozai camp continued on Friday as many tents had been torn apart in Wednesday’s windstorm.According to initial assessment, 4,000 to 5,000 tents were damaged in the camp, accommodating 19,000 families from Bajaur, Mohmand and Khyber agencies.
The windstorm, blowing at a speed of 70 kilometres per hour, badly damaged the infrastructure in the camp including residential tents, fencing, health outlets and schools. According to the assessment, 30 to 40 per cent tents were damaged and needed replacement. Around 6,000 tents were needed to cope with the situation. A meeting of officials of all national and international NGOs and UN agencies working in the camp including the WHO, UNHCR, WFP and Unicef was held Thursday to discuss the rehabilitation process on emergency basis.
Following the meeting, the UNHCR started distributing tents to the affected IDPs most of whom had spent a night in the open. There are 20 sections, or phases, in the Jalozai camp and every section accommodates 700 to 1,000 families.
Major damage was witnessed in Phase-I where 388 tents had been uprooted, followed by Phase-XVI with damage to 323 tents. In other sections 50 to 60 tents have been completely destroyed. “We have distributed 200 tents till 1 p.m. and 500 are coming. Efforts are being made to distribute 900 tents till evening as these 900 families are sitting in the open and they should be provided tents before nightfall,” said UNHCR Field Officer Bashir Khan.
He said seven out of eight health centres run by the NGO Merlin and WHO had been damaged. He said some were completely damaged while others sustained partial damage. The army hospital set up in a building remained safe. Tent schools have also been destroyed. The staffs in health facilities are working on emergency basis and according to Dr Bashir of Merlin, full- fledged restoration of the facilities would be completed within a week.
As per the camp management, 70 to 80 people who had sustained injuries in the storm were provided first-aid in the camp’s health facilities while six persons with fractures were shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.
Work on repair of toilets has also been initiated as about 200 toilets out of total 1,000 in the camp have been damaged. “Fencing will be started as soon as distribution of tents is completed,” said the UNHCR official. He said provision of tents had been started. “First the destroyed tents would be replaced followed by those partially damaged. The process would be completed within a week,” he said.
The UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, WHO and national NGOs started their activities to restore facilities at the camp.
Abdur Rahman, an aged man from Bajaur, said that everything in his tent including sugar, flour, pulses, etc were spoiled, cots were broken and the tent torn apart. “Nothing in our tent remained intact,” he lamented. Ali Rahman, another displaced man living in Phase VIII-D, said it was like a Doomsday when the windstorm struck the camp. “It was dark, everyone was in trouble and nobody was in a position to help the other,” he recalled. “Everyone was trying to save his and her life. Windstorm and rain destroyed everything within no time,” he added.
Noor Akbar, in-charge of the camp, put the damage at 70 per cent. He said it was a natural calamity that could not be avoided through any kind of arrangements. He said different relief and other organizations were present in the camp to help the affectees and doctors were providing first-aid and emergency care to them.