Sommaire: One year on: EU Commission's response to South Asia earthquake (6 October 2006: Brussels)
On Saturday 8, October 2005, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan and Northern India. The epicentre was 95 km north-east of Islamabad. More than 80,000 people were killed with at least 70,000 suffering injuries that required immediate medical attention. Some four million were made homeless. The worst-affected areas were the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
The Commission's total financial package in response to the crisis amounted to €98.6 million. Overall EU funding (Commission plus Member States) reached around €600 million of which €171 million was for humanitarian actions.
The European Commission responded rapidly and generously to this humanitarian crisis. The immediate response was channelled through two instruments -the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) and the EU mechanism for civil protection. On the day of the earthquake, it contributed €3.6 million in fast-track aid for immediate relief operations focusing on medical services/supplies, shelter, food and blankets. A further €10 million was allocated four days later to address the most urgent
relief needs including 'winterised' shelters, primary healthcare, hygiene kits, coordination and logistics. The following month, an additional €10 million was directed towards healthcare, camp management, logistics and psychological assistance. And in December 2005, a €25 million package was adopted to bring sustained relief to the stricken zone through the winter and during 2006. This provided livelihood support such as seeds and tools as well as water and sanitation programmes and disaster
preparedness initiatives. The overall amount provided in this rolling programme of humanitarian aid to ease the suffering of the earthquake victims thus amounted to €48.6 million. These funds were managed by the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) under the responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel.
A further €50 million was also rapidly pledged for recovery and rehabilitation in earthquake-affected areas of Pakistan, the funding in this case coming from the Commission's External Relations department under the responsibility of Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
Immediate Response
In addition to the response provided by DG ECHO, Pakistan's appeal for assistance following the earthquake also triggered the EU's mechanism for civil protection, which is managed by the European Commission through its Monitoring and Information Centre, under the responsibility of Commissioner Stavros Dimas.
The Commission immediately deployed an expert co-ordination team to co-ordinate European civil protection efforts on the ground. In total, 25 member states of the EU mechanism1 offered assistance in the form of food, blankets, medicine, medical teams, search and rescue or other experts or supplies.
A number of European search and rescue teams were deployed as part of the first phase of the relief operation.
The humanitarian funds were channelled through 36 operational partners: European non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations agencies and the Red Cross/Red Crescent 'family'. The Commission's humanitarian partners are carefully selected, taking account of their capacity to implement projects successfully. ECHO ensures that the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality and equity are faithfully adhered to by its partners, at all stages of implementation.
Shelter was obviously a top priority immediately after the disaster, with so many homes destroyed. In the first phase, it was mainly tents and plastic sheets that were distributed and later, corrugated iron sheets that can withstand heavy snowfalls. All types of shelter, using different materials, were supplied, reflecting various needs in this mountainous region.
Food distribution began immediately, focusing on children and pregnant women. The supplies provided included flour, cooking oil, and high protein biscuits. Essential 'non-food items' such as stoves, kitchen equipment, hygiene kits, and clothes were also distributed during the early stages of the relief operation.
Among the tens of thousands of people wounded in earthquake were many who had sustained broken limbs, multiple fractures and internal injuries. ECHO's partners quickly deployed four emergency response units (in Balakot and Batagram) and one field hospital (in Muzaffarabad) to provide vital medical aid to the victims. This was crucial as many health facilities had been destroyed. This was followed up by the establishment of further basic facilities including health posts, mobile clinics
and prefabricated buildings. The Commission also funded assistance for people who were disabled as a result of the earthquake as well as psychosocial support. In all, 11 health-related projects were supported covering a significant portion of the affected area.
ECHO is currently funding the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the continuation of the 'Disease Early Warning System' established shortly after the earthquake. This provided for a timely response to any outbreaks of communicable diseases during the subsequent winter and it will continue to operate into 2007.
Water and sanitation emerged as a serious worry, initially in the makeshift settlements and camps set up for displaced people and later in the villages that had been destroyed or damaged.
The Commission supported logistics notably through co-funding of the World Food Programme (WFP) for its helicopter operations. These were essential in delivering relief to remote mountainous areas, transporting humanitarian staff and evacuating casualties. It also helped WFP-UNJLC and Atlas Logistique to provide road transport and storage to various international and local humanitarian organisations.
Under the heading of disaster preparedness, €1 million was allocated to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) to boost awareness of the dangers in the aftermath of earthquakes, to help communities to cope with natural calamities (for example, establishing contingency plans in schools) and to train local people in anti-seismic construction techniques.
The Commission also strongly supported the new coordination mechanism, known as the 'cluster approach', recently agreed upon by UN agencies, the Red Cross/Crescent movement, NGOs and key donors through the Inter Agency Standing Committee. This approach was implemented for the first time in the Pakistan earthquake.
Coordination is essential for ensuring that the relief is fairly distributed across the disaster-affected area. The Commission makes an important contribution in this respect by rapidly-deployed ECHO field teams to ensure coordination with all major players. From the ECHO field office in Pakistan, the Commission is able efficiently to monitor the activities and interaction of its partners, so as to avoid duplication of activities in some areas and funding gaps in others. In this context, the
Commission allocated €1.5 million to OCHA in support of this agency's crucial role in coordination and information exchange. Cluster lead agencies - UNHCR for camp management, WHO for health, IOM for shelter, and WFP for logistics - also received financial support.
October 2006: The current situation
One year on from the earthquake, humanitarian programmes are winding down as reconstruction efforts gather momentum. It is widely acknowledged that Community-funded programmes have made a difference for the lives of millions of people. Nonetheless, to avoid any assistance gap, the Commission is maintaining funding for a number of core humanitarian projects that will continue throughout the winter and into 2007 until these activities can be taken over by development programmes. Areas still being
supported include basic health provision, ongoing psychosocial care and water/sanitation systems (particularly for remote villages). As part of the transition to development, basic agricultural support is also being provided.
Beyond humanitarian aid: Reconstruction efforts
The Commission announced a €50 million package to assist reconstruction efforts in earthquake-affected areas of Pakistan within weeks of the disaster and programme implementation has commenced in spring this year. The "EC Earthquake Early Recovery and Reconstruction Support" covers the restoration of the socio-economic fabric by reinstating basic infrastructure and livelihoods as well as education services.
The aim of the programme is threefold:
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