ISLAMABAD, 13 November (IRIN) - The humanitarian situation across Pakistan's northern earthquake-affected region has
remained stable after the first widespread heavy rain and snow of the Himalayan winter over the weekend, officials said on Monday. "Heavy rain and snowfall at higher altitudes have, no doubt,
increased the cold. But people in the quake region are better equipped this time to keep them warm and dry than last year when they had no shelter and other means to cover themselves," Saleem Rehmat,
a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.In many places, daytime temperatures across northern Pakistan dropped below 10 Celsius
after the showers, according to meteorologists. Several roads in the quake zone have been reported cut off due to landslides after this weekend's heavy rainfall. These included the routes leading to
Kaghan Valley in the North West Frontier Province and Neelum Valley in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. More than 75,000 people died and another 3.5 million were rendered homeless when the
devastating earthquake ripped through parts of northern Pakistan on 8 October 2005. Nearly 2 million quake survivors were forced to live in tents and makeshift shelters throughout last winter,
battling the harsh weather.Currently, around 35,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) continue to live in about 47 tented camps both in NWFP and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. The aid agencies
have been upgrading these basic facilities by strengthening tents with plastic sheeting, wooden structures and corrugated iron sheets.To deal with any emergency situation in the months ahead as the
vulnerable population faces its second winter, the IOM has already stationed Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) at six different locations across the quake-affected region. In NWFP, the teams are based in
the Siran, Kaghan and Allai valleys, while in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, they are in the Neelum and Jhelum valleys and in the capital city of Muzaffarabad. "The teams will provide emergency
services including medical care, winter survivability, communications, fire fighting, logistics and assessments," the IOM spokesman said. Meanwhile, the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS)
helicopter operation has not been able to start for operational reasons, officials said."Only two of the five helicopters have arrived so far in the country. Also, there are some other technical and
operational problems, which we are trying to sort out," Amjad Jaamal, a spokesman for the World Food Programme (WFP), told IRIN. UNHAS, a non-profit service provider under the stewardship of WFP,
had planned to run at least five helicopters during its three-month winter operation starting from 5 November to the end of January 2007. The service was to carry food and non-food items to remote
communities where the poor weather makes road access difficult. But now, "it would take another 10 to 15 days to start the helicopter operation," the WFP spokesman said. ts/sc/jl
