Red Cross concerned about unmet needs one month after the earthquake
23 February 2001


Aid has still not reached remote areas of Kutch province in Gujarat four weeks after the devastating earthquake that left tens of thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands homeless, says the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The Indian Red Cross and the Federation are continuing their assessments in the more remote areas of Kutch and are still finding villages that have received no tents or tarpaulins. Thousands of people are having to sleep out in the open with either minimal or no form of protection.

"What we still don't know is the outer limit of the disaster area," says Bob McKerrow, the Federation's Head of Regional Delegation in Delhi. "Our emergency relief operations have been carried out in tandem with assessments right from the beginning but we need to do many more to get a clearer picture of the situation. The government at all levels has done good work in co-ordinating the disaster response but it is the sheer magnitude of the disaster that makes quick and accurate comprehensive assessments difficult."

As a result, the Red Cross is increasing the number of assessments in the more remote areas of Kutch. The focus for these assessments will be on districts such as Lakhpat and Nakhtarana in the north and Northwest of Kutch.

In Abdasa, to the Southwest of Bhuj, Red Cross teams have found very few villages that have not been damaged and most are in need of help. "In some of the villages in Abdasa people have given up waiting for help to come to them," says Nick Denton of the American Red Cross. "Some people have tried to help themselves and started to clear up the rubble while others have abandoned their villages altogether." Those who have stayed are using whatever material they can get hold of such as fertiliser sacks in order to make up some form of shelter.

The Indian Red Cross with the Federation has recently begun distributions in Khavda, close to the border with Pakistan and which has also received little or no help. But although remote rural areas have posed an access problem for most organisations, many communities in urban areas are also in dire need.

"There are still pockets in places such as Bhuj and Bhachau where people have lost everything and are desperate for help but are not being given systematic support from aid agencies because it is much easier to adopt a whole village where aid can be distributed easily and quickly," says Dr Jayaraman Gandhimati, earthquake operation manager of the Indian Red Cross. As a result, the Indian Red Cross has been targeting selected communities in and around Bhuj, Bhachau, Anjar and Rapar.

The issue of shelter has been the biggest concern in the relief operation. The Indian Red Cross has taken delivery of 500 tents that have come from Pakistan and are expecting another 1,500 in the next few days. It is the first batch of a total of 5,000 tents to come from across the border which are funded by the British Red Cross.

Since the disaster struck, the Indian Red Cross and the Federation have distributed 140,000 blankets, tents and tarpaulins to shelter more than 200,000 people, as well as 4,700 kitchen sets and more than 1,700 water containers. The International Federation is targeting a total of 300,000 people to be helped in the coming weeks.

For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:

Jemini Pandya Tel: +41 79 308 9811
Sat phone: 873 761242825
Delhi:
Patrick Fuller, regional information delegate, Tel: +91 981 0099 794
Geneva:
Solveig Olafsdottir, Information Officer, Tel.: + 41 22 730 4296
Tel : + 41 79 416 3881

The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.