Monsoon rains may trigger further landslides in Pakistan's quake-ravaged north, which could impede relief efforts to the area, the United Nations has warned.
"There are several areas of roads that are prone to landslide collapse because of the unstable nature of the soil," said Glyn Saunders, a logistics officer for the United Nations Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC) in Muzaffarabad, capital of Azad Kashmir.
"Traditionally such conditions have always existed, however, the earthquake appears to have exacerbated [the risk in] some of these areas, making them more prone to potential landslides than before." In the aftermath of the 7.6 magnitude quake, scores of roads and bridges were swept away by landslides, leaving aid workers in a quandary over how to reach those most in need.
In an effort to address that, the UN on 10 October launched the largest helicopter relief operation of its kind - providing a vital humanitarian lifeline for thousands of remote villages and hamlets at higher altitudes in the affected area, spanning 30,000 square kilometres.
But with the cessation of that service on May 31, due to poor funding, coupled with what local residents speculate might be an early monsoon season this year around, the issue of access is again raising its head.
"We have already seen that during heavy rain storms we've had already," Saunders underscored. "Now that the UNHAS helicopter fleet has departed Pakistan, road access is the only major form of cargo movement available."
According to the UNJLC official, aid agencies working in the area should think carefully about where the potential threat of landslides might be, as well as their options, including alternative routes, the rescheduling of deliveries, as well as the pre-positioning of supplies to areas that might be cut off.
Additionally, transport assets might be placed in some areas where the risk of being cut off was stronger, he said. But the challenge in preparing for such operations won't come easy. Although residents living at higher altitudes are accustomed to the heavy monsoon rains that generally begin in July, aid workers interviewed by IRIN warn that quake survivors might not be as well equipped to cope with extended access problems this time around.
Village life was badly affected by the quake and many residents are still living in tents. Moreover, with restricted food supplies, the need to bring in shelter equipment, re-establish schools, medical facilities, and bringing in all the infrastructure for that, is not something normally that is done, they note.
"There is a greater demand for things that the community might normally be self-sufficient in," Saunders said. "This time they are not, so there are a few more considerations."
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