4 -10 April 2002
Issue No.580
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 4 -10 April 2002 Issue No.580 |
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Afghanistan's agony
The devastating earthquake that hit Afghanistan last week highlighted the grave challenges facing the war-torn country, writes Iffat Malik
A national day of mourning was declared in Afghanistan on Thursday 28 March. The earthquake, whose epicentre was in the nearby Hindu Kush mountains, wreaked havoc in the Nahrin region. It was the latest calamity to hit a country already ravaged by disasters.
A UN aerial survey of the region showed that 25 per cent of houses were destroyed, and 50 per cent seriously damaged. Worst-hit were the 10,000 inhabitants of Nahrin, the district capital.
The lack of modernisation in the town actually saved lives. The use of mud rather than concrete in construction, prevents high-rise buildings; rubble is lighter and has less far to fall; casualties are fewer and damage less. The death toll is estimated to be between 800 and 1,000, Nigel Fisher, Deputy Director of the UN Special Mission to Afghanistan, commented, "Given the size of the earthquake, I think we're fortunate more people were not killed."
This is little consolation for those who lost their families or their livelihoods. Thousands of people are homeless. Continuing aftershocks, though minor, are deterring survivors from searching the debris for their homes and possessions. Most are camping out on the hillsides, exposed to the sun by day and the cold by night.
Unable to cope, Hamid Karzai's interim administration, has appealed for international assistance. In response, international agencies including the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are sending tents, food and other supplies to the survivors.
The administration is working hard to show solidarity with those afflicted. Hamid Karzai postponed a trip to Turkey to visit the region. Several other ministers have also arrived. From a tent in Nahrin, Suhaila Siddiqui, the Public Health minister, supervised and helped doctors and nurses to treat the injured and officials of the Finance Ministry have been giving money to the needy.
The presence of an international peace-keeping force in Afghanistan has helped the rescue work. US and British Chinook helicopters have transported quantities of rice, beans, wheat, blankets and medical supplies to Nahrin. And international personnel have helped to clear overturned lorries that blocked the Salong Tunnel. The tunnel through the Hindu Kush mountains is a vital link between Kabul and the north. A 36- truck aid convoy was then able to pass and Medecins Sans Frontieres doctors reached the region on Wednesday to begin treating the injured. Most patients had broken bones.
Aid workers said at least 15,000 of the needed 20,000 tents have reached the area and enough food is available to feed the victims for three months. The UN has established a coordination and distribution centre in Nahrin. But the problem remains how to get supplies and assistance to the remote villages. The road network, primitive from the start, is now devastated; heavy rain is adding to the difficulties.
Land mines are another problem. In the past, Nahrin, just 100km north of Kabul, was a battleground in the wars between the Taliban, the Northern Alliance and among rival warlords. The area is littered with mines. Many have surfaced because of the earthquake or been unearthed by heavy rain. Farhana Furqana, the UN's regional coordinator for northern Afghanistan, described many areas as inaccessible because of heavy mining.
Tiernan Dolnan, a volunteer with an Irish aid agency, said, "This was a battleground for so long. It was just beginning to be rehabilitated, and now this happens." His comments sum up the tragedy of Afghanistan: one disaster after another, some man-made, some natural. Nahrin was also the victim of drought for several years. Each successive disaster regresses the rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
The immediate needs of the Nahrin district are largely being addressed; it is the future that is problematic. Tents need to be replaced with houses: a costly process. Planting crops this spring will be impossible; inhabitants will need to be fed. Many men have been killed or maimed, leaving widows and orphans unable to support themselves; they need to be provided for indefinitely.
The aid pledged from abroad for the earthquake victims will be a big help. Australia has donated $530, 000 in addition to the, $20 million it promised for reconstruction after 11 September. Japan said it will give $400,000 and Russia sent 21 tons of relief goods. But if Afghanistan is to overcome not only the immediate effects of this earthquake, but all its long- term problems, a sustained and generous commitment by the international community is imperative.
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