Another earthquake
From Balakot With Trepidation - A follow-up of Oct 8

Re: # 19
Thank you for your comments. Australian Aid International has already built almost 100 of our shelters and affectees have moved in. They are targeting a few hundred more. Many NGOs have approached us for the design. Of ocurse we are not charging anything for it. Its free for anyone who wants to build it.

Anyone willing to contribute towards providing a shelter can contact the Australians at www.aai.org.au.

Regards,

# 18 UrsTruly.... Theek kehtay ho. Lo, I am disowning them...aur lo, I am drawing the line you said we should..

---

LINK TO SPONSOR A SHELTER ( cost USD$280)

http://www.aai.org.au/sponsor-a-shelter.htm

Mr Husain thank you for the link. I am thrilled to note that the cost for each house is just under USD$250, or Rs 14,000. At this cost, I am sure many donors can sponsor at least one house if they want to.

http://www.aai.org.au/iras-programs.htm

``....All-Weather Rapid Shelter (IRAS) that meets all requirements of not only suitable emergency shelter but that of integration of emergency shelter into longer life structures.

The designers looked at the basic guidelines of temporary shelter and established that shelters should be, quick and easy to build by community members, be safe against extreme weather and further earthquakes that are common in this region, be inexpensive (costing about the same price as a non-winterised tent), easily transported to remote mountainous villages by foot, constructed of locally and culturally familiar materials and methods of construction, and built requiring no special tools or equipment.

The materials used include empty cement bags, filled with soil on site to construct the walls. These replace brick and stone. Barded wire is used as a binder instead of cement and gives the structure a monolithic design and contributes to earthquake resistance. The roof is made of only 5 sheets of CGI sheets requiring no internal supports due to the barrel vault roof design.....

....The IRAS is a transitional shelter and can last between one to five years depending on how well owners project the structure by using plastic sheeting or mud render. Therefore the cost of the design will go to providing a permanent outbuilding for animals or as a store in the future when communities move into their permanent structures.

The unit cost inclusive is approx $250. The major cost is the CGI sheets which have increased in value by up to 50% due to the supply demand....

Structural description and specifications of the IRAS

Floor area 72 sq feet (8` x 9`)
End/side wall height 3 ½` and 6`
CGI sheets 5 (12` x 3-6`)
Locally available metal door 3` x 5`
Barded wire Half roll .... ``

I do not know how to link to images from here, if someone could put up the image of the IRAS house here, it would be a very visual help, esp. for those drumming on army-airfarce inefficiencies, we all might be able to delve into our pockets a little deeper and surface our own shortcomings.

I was going to mention earlier about Nasir Khalili`s aga khan award winning structure with the barbed wire and sandbag design, but did not want to display my ignorance. Your IRAS design is a very good improvement on it, esp. with the tin sheets and larger size.

Re: # 17 wasif

I don`t think that raising your blood pressure in this way will help. Na Pak fauj has formed alliances with a corrupt, metally vassal ruling class. This class once consisted of those renegades who collaborated with British to help oppress people of this land. Then came their progeny. But now this mentall vassalage has become a state of mind. It has taken into its fold the ordinary people who would not have anything to do with colonial vassalage. It is like a viral infection that this ruling class has injected into the nation through corruption and lawlessness. This class consists of moulvis, feudal lords, nouvu riche smugglers, qabza group, mirasis, chawals, generals and dallals. Military provides muscle to protect the interests of this class. A quick look at the present sham assemblies will tell you the make up of this class - it does not matter who is in the ruling faction and who is in the so called opposition. They are all there to scratch each others backs while sucking blood from a helpless nation. It is for this very reason that we must completely disown army now with its so called Shaheeds, defenders of nations, sipahis and the relief efforts. It is the time that we draw a line between people and Pakistan and those who oppress them, murder them and corrupt them.

# 14

I really do not understand you people.... the question is, again and again... ``So bloody what if the army is doing this work ?`` So what ?????? We bloody pay them through our noses for the country`s so called ``defence`` which they are totally incapable of providing....so if they are working now who are they doing a favour ? Had they NOT been working for the earth quake it would have been an issue....but their providing relief efforts is the very least usefulness that could have come out of their fat asses. And btw...what proportion of the army are we talking about ? Three divisions ? A few thousand out of half a million ???? Big bloody deal.

And as for this country`s defence ... i really cant see what is the big treasure buried here that we think the world may be after. Especially India. What makes us think they want to conquer and deal with 140 million more insects on top of their own 1 billion plus ???

# 8 #9 and # 13

You are all apologists for a corrupt army.

#8 Is the army doing us a favour by being useful this once ? They have sucked the blood out of this country for too long....so what if they have had to provide some assistance now ?? ..only ``some`` assistance...mind you. They are good for nothing. They do nothing at all...except suck the blood out of us, economically and politically....destroying the fabric of this society in every way they can just so their own fat bellys can become fatter. They are never going to be in a war....they dont even know how to fight one anymore. All they know is how to eat eat eat more and suck suck suck blood more.

Civil administration didnt fail.... there are no civil institutions left....the army has destroyed them all.

#9 Thank god my brothers and sisters dont make this fauj. Yours obviously do. I am a bloody ``civvie``. Not a parasite fauji.

# 13 To kya mairay baap kay sarr pay ehsaan kar rahi hai fauj ? Khaatay bhi to sabb say zyada yehi hain.

The only thing that amazes me is how even the dumbest can have such sharp survival skills.....in school the most rotten, useless, retarded rejects use to go into the army....and look what they have turned it into ..... a marvel of a self serving blood sucking gigantic freeloading parasite....so the rotten rejects from school were good at something, at least.

Re: # 12 masadi

Very well said. I am also of the opinion that Pakistani nation can only emancipate itself if it abolishes this evil institution of military and break the shackles and chains it (army) has put around this nation in the form of corruption and lawlessness. Those who think that this idea is anti_pakistan should understand that army consciously do not let any civilian institute to hold firm because it provides the raison d`etre for its perpetual interference in the matters of polity.

I am of the opinion that for the country of the size of Pakistan with a nuclear and missile arsenal there is no need for a professional army larger that 75,000 personnel. In addition to that a mandatory two year military training for every able bodied Pakistani will be good enough to counter the threat from any part of the world.

I am so serious about this that even though I am a Punjabi I would propose a separation of other three provinces from Punjab so that only Punjab can shove its instrument of oppression where it belongs. The other three provinces will be free of this un-natural, Kurdistan-under-Saddam like arrangement. If a Punjabi wants to save the union then he must dissociate himself from this instrument of oppression - even when it comprises of our brothers and fathers - that they have unwittingly unleashed upon a law-abiding, decent, and humane Pakistan. This the sunnah of our Holy Prophet (pbuh) that for truth, justice, and freedom if he had to raise weapon against his relatives, he did. It is Punjab`s moral responsibility to not let other Bangladeshes happen.

Re: # 10
Hassan Fathy was one of the most innovative architects produced by the Muslim World. His designs are still being replicated in a lot of countries.

The bamboo and adobe design that you are talking about is being used by some NGOs in theaffected areas. A lot of other innovative designs are also under use. I, myself designed an earthquake-resistant, insulated shelter which is being mass-produced in Bagh, Muzaffarabad, Balakot and other areas by the Pakistan Army and NGOs Peace Malaysia and Australian Aid International (see details of my shelter, IRAS, on their website www.aai.org.au).

Those of you who are not happy with the Pakistan Army, all I can say is that you have to go to the earthquake-struck areas to see how the army is working. I can safely claim that if it had not been for the army, the death toll would have been much much more. What they are doing, no other organisation in the country could have done. Its not only about the army being organised or well-equipped, its about their determination and resolve.

Re: #4 & #5
For those of you who consider that Army is doing the nation a favour by being there, I urge you to go and see the conditions for yourself if humanly possible. I have seen the jawaans leaving after Sehri and return around Iftar and walking all day long to try and ensure that the reach all people and households. I have personally witnessed officers donating money form their pockets to setup basic necessities, so I think we ought to give them a break and appreciate the role they are playing on the ground rather than criticising the institution on the whole.

Re # 7:
Unfortunately things are not so well and even though temperature in some parts are higher than they have been in the pastyear , it is already too cold for people to survive in tents only. We must continue to do all we can before the snowfall starts. EVery time I visit the affected areas and see people living in tent villages and similar communities, I wonder what they are going to do once the winters really start...

--Abdul

#4 and #5, I agree with you, the Army is concerned more about defending the US and its interests than it is about protecting its own people. What is needed is a total restructuring of the institution, for as it is now, and as it has been all thru the ``cold war`` era, it is a mere indigeneously staffed base of the US government- mobilized at will by them.

Nothing new. These sort of quakes have become common. But they are being called aftershocks and believed not as fearsome.

Author must be familiar with Hassan Fathy`s architecture for the poor, adobe housing, using locally available inexpensive raw materials. I understand that domed houses built using this method are tolerant to seismic activity, with wood framework. would like to know how suitable that would be for this kind of situation. pls note that I am not an architect or engineer. interested in the viability of adobe and bamboo construction for flood and other natural disaster inflicted rural regions in southeast asia.

Re: # 6
What has Army to do with that you Blockhead?

``Fauj`` is not some ``aasmani makhlooq``.It is you,me and our brothers and sisters who make this ``fauj``.This earthquake has exposed the inefficiency and ill preparedness of the ``civil machinery`` in crisis or disaster management and it is this ``Pak fauj`` which has given momentum to the relief effort and are doing it with some order and discipline.Get into the habit of seeing beyond your nose.

Pak fauj Zindabaad. Fauj ke Dushman Muradabaad (errr!!!!! sorry, Murdabaad)

Although Pakistan Army is part of the problem in todays Pakistan ( curbs on democracy , lavish housing schemes etc.. ) but blaming all most every ill of our nation on army is being stupid. Uncle Urstruly , please stop all the crap its leading us no where , you are like a nagging wife who whatever happens good or bad blames everything on Army although yes, at times you are right when you point to army`s role with regards to civilian life and armed forces role in democratic institutions .
One can not deny the role of army in earth quake relief or any national tragedy be it train derailing in Gotki or the recent earthquake in Azad Kashmir and NWFP, its vital and army is workign overtime .
7.avkrishna,
relief operations is now turned into a `reconstruction effort` , NGO`s, Government, Politicians and Political Parties and Pakistan Army are working over time to shift people from danger zones , seting up shelters , supplying food , operating mobile schools and even colleges .
If you know Azad Kashmir and NWFP ( and I belong to Mirpur , AZK , Pakistan ) the worse effected areas are mountainous areas whereas big cities like Dadyal and Mirpur which borders Punjab ( with the grace of Allah ) suffered minor loss whereas areas bordering NWFP ( places like Muzaffarabad , Balakot etc.. ) were almost destroyed.
The problem now is that people living on mountains wants to remain there and not shift downwards to plain which is a huge headache for everyone thus resulting in more choper flights which is adding more bills .
In another extraodinary *what I call a miracle* , a women was rescued from the rubble after almost two months ( SubhanAllah ) these little miracles help those on ground helping our brothers and sisters and not nagging on civil admin. or fauj but does it matter , Allah Janay ! Pakistan Zindabad !

Can anyone provide a status update on how relief operations are going as regards to protecting people from cold weather?

I read recently that an unusual bout of warm weather had provided some temporary respite. Hope the relief operations catch up during this small window offered by Nature..

Thanks,
Avkrishna