WASH Cluster – Excreta Disposal
E10
E10 – Case study
Pakistan Earthquake 2005 Tented camps near Balakot
Impact and affected areas
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, on October 8, 2005, at 8:50 a.m. local time,
according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The fact that the epicentre was close to the surface, combined with
other geological risk factors, led to immense destruction in the affected areas.
The estimated death toll is 73,000, with an
estimated 3.5 million people left homeless. The
UN reports that 8 million people have been
directly affected. Most buildings in the affected
area had poor earthquake resilience. Of the total
housing stock, 84 percent has been damaged and
destroyed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and
36 percent was damaged or destroyed in North
West Frontier Province (NWFP). The latest
estimates indicate that 3.2 million to 3.5 million people have been affected by the disaster and are in need of assistance,
including winterised shelter, medical care, food and water and sanitation facilities. The earthquake caused further
enormous damage to infrastructure such as roads and bridges, cutting off huge areas from main road access. Electricity
and water supplies are severely affected. The affected region has a remote and dispersed population.
The Government of Pakistan (GoP) estimates that approximately 6,300 educational institutions were damaged or
destroyed in the earthquake affected area. 850 teachers and 18,000 students were killed in the quake. Almost 50 per
cent of the 800 health facilities in the area affected by the disaster have been destroyed, while another 25 per cent were
damaged.
Highlights from UNICEF sitrep
o
The aftermath of the earthquake, the devastation and the impact on people’s lives has been
underestimated
o
One week after the earthquake, the combination of: sheer numbers of injured, enormous
logistical challenges and rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, indicates that the relief operations are still at
the life-saving stage
o
The most critical priorities are winterised shelter, medical, water and sanitation and nutrition. Urgent attention
needs to be given to reaching populations in villages
o
The lack of safe drinking water will soon become a major health risk
o
Assessments from the Balakot area indicate that it was one of the worst hit with over 10,000 casualties (out of a
population of 40,000), 90% of buildings destroyed and 80% homeless
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WASH Cluster – Excreta Disposal
E10
E10 – Case study
Pakistan Earthquake 2005 Tented camps near Balakot
o
All relief organisations arriving in Pakistan are requested to contact the UNOCHA office in Balakot, UNDP to
obtain and exchange relevant information
Your team
You have been allocated an organisation from the list below. You have been in country for two months and have
completed the initial emergency response phase. Your organisations work has centred on activities in the tented
villages around Balokot (see below). You are now designing the next phase of your activities. As well as taking over
responsibility for your organisations existing activities, your team has been specifically tasked to assess the current
needs and to develop the future programmes.
No.
Site Camp
Village
Population
Distance from
Balakot (km)
Access
Status of site camp
Set up: tent and monitor stationed.
1
Ganool
8,000
18
Foot/mule
Receiving families. Ground starting to
freeze.
Set up: tent and monitor
2
Hangria
6,300
9
Car
Stationed. Closed to new arrivals due to
flooding after heavy rain
3
Kawai
1,000
24
Foot/mule
Monitoring team only. Mountainous, rocky
ground.
CASE STUDY TASK PART 2. (60 mins)
You are part of the WASH cluster and have spent two months in country carrying out the first phase of your emergency
response. You have been asked to attend a meeting by the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority
(ERRA) who want to ensure quality and consistency of approaches. The meeting will focus on next phase of activities.
You have 20 minutes before this meeting starts.
At this meeting you will present your activities planned activities for the next phase. More details on some of the other
organisations who will be present are given below. Note that the Government of Pakistan will be present in this
meeting. Think about how the activities of the other organisations might affect your response.
o
What is your strategy for 2nd phase of excreta disposal system (latrines, pit/slab/superstructure design/
desludging strategy if necessary).
o
What practical systems need to be put in place to ensure the sustainability of the latrines.
o
Are there provisions for schools and hospitals?
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WASH Cluster – Excreta Disposal
E10
E10 – Case study
Pakistan Earthquake 2005 Tented camps near Balakot
WASH organisations
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WASH Cluster – Excreta Disposal
E10
E10 – Case study
Pakistan Earthquake 2005 Tented camps near Balakot
UNICEF is engaged in two major new projects to promote healthy hygiene practices. The first is an
education programme to encourage clean habits; the second is the introduction of hot water to keep
people washing themselves during the winter months.
328,376 people have benefited from our water and sanitation activities, which include access to water
tanks, delivery of clean safe water, tap stands for collecting water and latrines – helping to prevent the
spread of water borne diseases such as the diarrohea and cholera. We are planning to install 4 gravity fed
water schemes, 821 emergency pit latrines (489 females, 248 male, 25 children, 49 disable, and 10
communal), train 215 camps and village hygiene and sanitation motivators and distribute 890 scoops for
children’s faeces.
The Federation/Swedish Red Cross water purification and distribution unit is continuing to operate
in Balakot, supplying up to 210,000 litres daily of drinkable water for up to 15,000 people. The unit, which
has been operational since October 18 2005, continues to be a vital source of clean water for the local
population. The Federation/PRCS is making provisions for families leaving camps which are not in a
position to rebuild immediately. Under the revised earthquake emergency and recovery appeal,
emergency shelter assistance is planned for 20,000 families.
ACTED is currently considering future perspectives in terms of water and sanitation activities around
Balokot, where major needs still need to be addressed. The earthquake destroyed 36 water supply
schemes in the area and shifted or closed a large number of water sources. The people of the area also
suffer from a lack of sanitation facilities. As many as fifty percent of the village houses had toilet facilities
in this area before the earthquake struck. All of the toilet facilities were destroyed after the earthquake.
Concern has provided water and sanitation services including latrines, washrooms, water tanks, and
hygiene kits to 154,000 people living in camps.
With a brutally cold winter approaching, Concern rapidly distributed transitional shelter kits including
mattresses, camp stoves, blankets, tools, and iron-sheet roofing to place on top of surviving or rebuilt
walls to 4,000 families. We are working with communities to encourage their participation in the decision
making processes, increase their understanding of environmental management and help them plan for
future emergencies to minimize their impact.
RDP
Rural Development Project (RDP), a local NGO, to provide 2000 families with solid waste management
services, latrines, water supply, and hygiene kits
The Government of Pakistan created the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA)
to oversee early recovery and reconstruction. Staffed by a mix of civilian, military, and ex-military
personnel, ERRA has a range of specialist departments supervising key areas such as rural shelter,
transitional relief, water and sanitation, health, and livelihoods. ERRA has also established state,
provincial, and district branches.
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WASH Cluster – Excreta Disposal
E10
E10 – Case study
Pakistan Earthquake 2005 Tented camps near Balakot
"I capture pictures of people demonstrating bad hygiene practices," says Minallah. "For example, cooking with
unwashed hands or leaving the latrines without using the soap and water provided there. When we're talking to
communities we see how they empathize more if they are shown pictures with people they recognise."
Fauzia Minallah, a young artist and graphic designer from Islamabad, has been working in the Balokot camp.
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