Two
years ago, falling concrete killed people in Pakistan when the
devastating earthquake struck Pakistan. Today, it is a sign
of recovery at numerous building sites across North West Frontier
Province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
“A major problem was heavy roofs. There was evidence of
concrete roofs pan-caking everything under them,” explains
International Federation reconstruction coordinator Cormac Rooney,
who says the structures which proved so lethal two years ago
suffered from bad design.
“Stability is a key factor. People can have concrete columns
and concrete beams, but if they’re not tied together properly
and an earthquake comes, then you’ve got this huge amount
of unstable concrete falling… and concrete kills,”
said Rooney.
On October 8 2005, shattered pillars, giant slabs which had
plummeted to the ground and mountains of rubble dominated the
landscape of some of the worst hit areas.
Schools were hard hit with 8,000 such buildings damaged or destroyed.
Of the 73,000 people who died in the disaster, the UN estimates
17,000 children were killed sitting in their classrooms that
fateful Saturday morning.
The Pakistan Red Crescent, supported by the International Federation
and a wide array of donors, is helping rebuild 17 schools and
colleges as part of the overall 42-project reconstruction programme.
Rooney is overseeing the projects and is determined the buildings
the Red Cross Red Crescent funds are safe and stable.
Nine schools are underway and a total of 25 reconstruction projects
including primary/middle and high schools, colleges, and medical
centres will be established by the end of the year.
College Principal Muhammad Pervaiz came close to suffering tragic
consequences of a badly designed school when the disaster struck.
Then based in Muzaffarabad, he ran to his five-year-old daughter’s
school to find it in ruins and no sign of her. As he frantically
searched through the rubble, he helped rescue other children,
some of whom died in his arms. Finally, someone heard his little
girl crying, and hauled her out.
“She looked very white, I thought she would die. But as
I gave her some water she looked into my eyes and told me I
had to go back and get her bag as the teacher had given her
homework,” he said.
Thankfully Muhammad Pervaiz’s daughter is fully recovered.
He is proud to be part of the reconstruction process in his
new job as Principal of Garhi Dupatta Boys Degree College in
Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Leveled by the quake, the school is being completely rebuilt,
funded under the Pakistan Red Crescent/International Federation
reconstruction programme. Scheduled for completion in 2008,
the new school will have facilities for 500 students. The reinforced
concrete structure will be significantly stronger than the previous
building which folded like a house of cards.
Imran Yosuf, now aged 21, is a third-year political science
student at Garhi Dupatta. Over 500 people died in his village.
Adding to his misery was losing his school.
“When we came here and saw the collapsed school we felt
depressed and thought no one will rebuild it. But now the Pakistan
Red Crescent Society and the International Federation are doing
just that, and we hope we will study for our final year in this
building,” Imran said.
In the remote village of Mera Bakot in Pakistan-administered
Kashmir, work is underway on rebuilding a girl’s middle
school.
Mera Bakot was devastated by the earthquake. All houses and
other buildings including the school crumbled, killing 240 people
out of a population of 425. Fifty of those killed were kids.
Two years on with funding from the Pakistan Red Crescent, the
International Federation and a British NGO, the school is being
rebuilt. There is excitement and enthusiasm amongst community
members and students for their new school.
Community involvement is key, and members of the village have
been consulted from the outset to ensure what is constructed
is sustainable and useful. The building contractor will employ
members of the local community to help build the school.
Gohar Khan, construction engineer for the Pakistan Red Crescent
said, “I am proud to be helping the children (of Mera
Bakot) because this area has been ignored, and especially being
a quake -affected area, they will now have quality education
in safe buildings.”
Two years after the tremendous loss of life, including so many
of their peers, students are dreaming big as to what they hope
to do with their education.
“I want to be a doctor, a brain doctor,” Nazia,
age 9, says. Twelve-year-old Shasita concurs and adds, “I
want to be a doctor and work in my village.” Naseem, age
11, looks at the new school being built and says, “I want
to be a teacher.”
It’s been a long process to get the construction projects
off the ground. Sites had to be allocated, plans approved, funding
confirmed and community consultation completed.
However Pakistan Red Crescent Secretary General Khalid Kibriya
is adamant that what is built must be better than what stood
before, and that process can take time.
“We have gone to sites and talked to communities, various
stakeholders in the area to ensure that when we reconstruct
a particular facility it meets the requirements of the community.
There cannot be any white elephants,” he said.
Khalid Kibriya sees the Pakistan Red Crescent’s decision
to focus on reconstructing community buildings as fitting well
with the Red Cross Red Crescent ethos.
“We wanted to be doing something closer to our mandate
and since what we do is focused on communities, we wanted to
do something in reconstruction for communities. We thought the
projects that we choose should be community-based,” he
said.
The reconstruction programme is just one of the areas the Pakistan
Red Crescent, supported by the International Federation is conducting
to help with the recovery from the quake. Health care, water
and sanitation, and disaster management activities are all part
of the process. The job isn’t finished yet, but two years
down the track, concrete progress is being made.
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(L-R) Shasita (12), Naseem (11) and Nazia (9) are excited
about their new school being built in Pakistan-administered
Kashmir. Their remote village of Mera Bakot suffered the
loss of over half its people including 50 students in
the 2005 earthquake. (p16557)
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Reconstruction
delegate Cormac Rooney checks the positioning of steel
for a concrete beam at Garhi Dupatta Boys College. “Concrete
kills,” he cautions, unless beams are properly tied
together. (p16555)
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Principal
Muhammad Pervaiz of the Garhi Dupatta Boys Degree College
who’s daughter had a brush with death in the October
8 quake. Thankfully she is now fully recovered while Muhammad
Pervaiz is proud to see his new degree college take shape.
(p16554)
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A
community meeting on the girl’s middle school construction
at Mera Bakot. Involvement of local people from students
to community leaders is a vital component of the schools
reconstruction process. (p16556)
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