Nine days on and there is still confusion and chaos in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), after the deadly earthquake that turned it into a graveyard. Dead bodies are still trapped under debris of buildings, rescue work has been abandoned, a vile stench inhabits the area, administration is non-existent, an imminent epidemic is threatening and the fear of another earthquake still haunts citizens.
Relief goods are arriving in abundance and camps have been established, but there is still no system in place to run and maintain these tented towns. The aid is has not yet reaching deserving people and is not being distributed in an organised and coordinated manner. Long queues of trucks loaded with relief goods can be seen heading towards Muzaffarabad but when they reach the city, one only sees people looking for help because of the lack of coordination. âRelief material is flooding in but unfortunately is not reaching deserving people because of the failure to implement a distribution system. It has become a survival of the fittest affair with stronger people grabbing relief goods while women and children get nothing,â said Adnan Asghar , a doctor of the Citizen Foundation. |