Britain releases nine million pounds in earthquake aid

The United Kingdom on Wednesday announced release of a tranche of nine million sterling in technical assistance for the October 8 earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation as part of its 70 million sterling pledge made during the donors conference.
The British Minister for International Development Gareth Thomas announced the release and signed documents before leaving for a visit to the earthquake-affected areas.
Noting the progress made towards the rehabilitation of people affected by last year's devastating quake, Thomas however, said there were still some challenges that need to be met. He said the amount released would help the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority to build capacity, provide an effective monitoring and evaluation system and to help reduce the impact of future disasters. He said the remaining 35 million sterling have been earmarked for budgetary support to the government and would be spent on Erra priorities.
'The UK is committed to working with the Government of Pakistan and international organisations to help those people build a better future over the next five years,' he said.
Thomas pointed that there were still huge challenges and expressed confidence that the money would be spent well. The minister said the reconstruction challenges in Pakistan were more severe than those faced by countries affected by the tsunami, because of the mountainous terrain and harsh climate. About the accountability process involved to ensure transparency in spending the donors money, the minister said he has confidence in the process.
He said the UK was working closely with the provincial and the federal officials and the entire spending was being audited. The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) is one of the seven large donors working with the government to help meet the recovery challenge.
The DFID contribution for the earthquake was used for UK's Search and Rescue teams including 84 experts with 4 dogs who rescued 13 of the total 24 survivors pulled from the rubble. It also provided relief supplies including 9,000 winter tents, 165,000 tarpaulins, 40,000 sleeping mats and 204,000 blankets.
The DFID provided more than sterling 10 million to support essential United Nations (UN) helicopter operations in areas with limited road access, including a cash grant, staff support, three Chinook helicopters for immediate airlift assistance and four MI-8 helicopters that will operate until the end of April.