Pakistani IDPs' misery compounded by cold weather

http://centralasiaonline.com/

By Adeel Saeed

Extreme winter cold in Pakistan's northern region is another burden the country's internally displaced people (IDPs) have to carry.

"We are already embroiled in unexplainable difficulties due to displacement, but presently our biggest worry is the frosty weather, which is causing seasonal ailments," said Rahim Khan, who fled fighting in Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency in 2010 and took refuge at Jalozai camp in Nowshera District.

"The weather has become very harsh, and it is almost impossible to cope with the biting cold while dwelling in tents covered with mere plastic sheets," Rahim told Central Asia Online.

Almost all the tents' plastic sheets are torn, he said, noting that camp workers haven't changed those sheets in a year and a half, though they're supposed to be swapped every six months. "The temperature, which usually plummets to 0º C, is almost the same outside and inside the tent."

Tents also are wearing out.

Each tent has residents who have fallen ill from the cold, Zuria, an elderly Bajaur Agency woman who has spent three years at the Jalozai camp, said. Zuria lost her legs when a rocket slammed into her house in 2010 during a battle between troops and militants. Severe cold leads to extreme pain in her stumps, preventing her from sleeping. "I can't even wash because we lack hot water and instead perform tayummun [dry ablution using sand or dust, which Islam allows in certain conditions] to offer prayer," Zuria said. It is very difficult to live in a tent, she said as she started to cry. "Those who are responsible for displacing us should come and see our predicament." Conditions are so difficult that people don't think twice about leaving as soon as possible. Indeed, Jalozai housed about 12,000 families two months ago, but the number has dropped to 5,689 families (39,823 individuals), Jalozai co-ordinator Rania Shah said. The reduction is likely the result of IDPs temporarily moving in with relatives to escape the weather, she said.

"If peace returned to my native area, I would leave this camp immediately," Iqbal Afridi, a 65-year-old IDP from Bara town in Khyber Agency, told Central Asia Online, blaming the lawlessness because of militants for the IDPs' woes.

Improving conditions

Extreme cold is an acute problem even though camp workers distributed a winter kit that includes five blankets, two quilts and five sleeping mats per family to help alleviate their suffering, Rania said.

Some, for example, have complained that the blankets weren't warm enough, she said. "We are receiving patients on a daily basis with respiratory disorders and chest-related infections caused by the harsh weather," Dr. Amir, who works for an NGO that provides health care to Jalozai residents, said.

Winter ailments are natural, but the severe cold inside unheated tents has made IDPs more vulnerable, he said. Meanwhile, medics educate IDPs about ways to endure the cold, he said, and severely ill patients are referred to the hospital. And the Sarhad Rural Support Programme is distributing new tents, Rania said, noting that the process would take about a month. But donations from international donors have diminished, resulting in the delay of tent replacements, Camp Administrator Yasir Khan said.

"The Provincial Disaster Management Authority is working to garner resources from donor agencies to provide better facilities to IDPs," he said. "We are sending requests to international donors and arranging presentations to visiting officials about their difficulties."

Recognising their difficulties, Qaumi Watan Party Central Chairman and former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao January 5 visited Jalozai to talk to displaced families, the Daily Mashriq reported. Sherpao told the refugees he would take all possible measures to resolve their problems. He promised to campaign for IDPs at international forums and request donations to mitigate the suffering of these casualties of the war against terrorism.