Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that the government is committed towards the rehabilitation of the earthquake victims and would look forward to your continued support, in the accomplishment of the task of converting this adversity into opportunity.
Addressing donors and sponsors of the earthquake-affected areas of Azad Kashmir and NWFP here at Iftar dinner on Thursday, he said that almost three years have passed since this country was struck with one of the most devastating earthquakes of its history in October 2005.
He said that the earthquake killed more than 73,000 people; of which about 50 percent were children and women. The earthquake also seriously injured 69,000 and displaced 3.5 million people. About 30,000 sq. km area was affected. It deprived 42,600 families from earning members and made them dependant on the society, he added.
In addition, he said around 600,000 houses, 6,298 schools and 796 health centres were destroyed and 6000 km roads were damaged. About 50-70 percent of the water supply, sanitation, telecommunication and power infrastructure was rendered un-operational, he maintained.
Though the quantum of the damage was huge he said but due to the inherent resilience of the affected people and the assistance from the global community, the Government of Pakistan managed to complete the relief and rescue operations successfully.
Gilani said that it gives him immense pleasure in sharing with this august audience that the relief and recovery efforts undertaken by the government has been ranked as one of the best relief operations in the world.
Soon after the completion of the relief phase, he said a comprehensive planning drill was undertaken by Erra with the thought to reconstruct the infrastructure in an organised manner so that the lives of the survivors could be properly rehabilitated. The principle of 'Build Back Better' was developed to address the plight of victims. The technical and financial support extended by the donors was critical in achieving the desired objectives, he added.
Prime Minister said since the reconstruction of improved infrastructure was bound to take time, a need to initiate an Early Recovery Program was felt and the objective of the program was to provide a transitional infrastructure to the victims till the time permanent structure could be erected.
During transitional arrangements, particular attention was paid to make all the schools and health facilities functional in alternate buildings within months to provide services to the affected population on priority basis, he added.
The Prime Minister said at present all educational and health facilities are functional, consequently bringing community life close to normalcy. It is pertinent to mention that some of the transition facilities are much better than the permanent buildings which existed before the earthquake, he maintained.
He said that it was quite satisfying that despite after shocks of the earthquake and other potential hazards due to the harsh weather conditions and peculiar topography of the affected region, there was not a single incidence of human calamity.
This time again, the various donor agencies took the lead and provided funds and expertise to the Government of Pakistan to manage this programme. Erra's programme is not just about bricks and mortar. It is about building lives, with a long-term perspective, to ensure that the society in the earthquake affected areas, bounces back to normal vibrant situation, prevailed before the earthquake, while enjoying the benefits of reconstruction and availing opportunities for social and economic growth.
The vulnerable groups are at par with others and there is minimum risk against any future natural disaster. Today, as we speak, planning for reconstruction and rehabilitation of all the affected districts has already been completed and construction on a lot of schemes has already been finished, the PM said.