India, Pakistan fail the quake test Little relief, much politics

Praful Bidwai, The Daily Star, Asia News Network/Dhaka

The Muzaffarabad earthquake highlights a simple truth: India- Pakistan border is a politically determined entity. In contrast to it stand the lived experience of disaster-affected people, their common humanity and grief.

The earthquake's causes and effects cut across borders. This presented India and Pakistan a unique opportunity -- to rise above petty politics and work jointly to help survivors. The least they could do is to open up the Line of Control so that relief could reach Pakistani Kashmir through Indian Kashmir, the quickest route.

Both states failed the test despite President Musharraf's promising October 18 statement, which is yet to be translated into action. Instead of demonstrating their concern for the Kashmiris, they showed they favor the status quo -- despite the peace process.

Tragically, their only early collaborative effort was to rebuild Pakistani bunkers damaged by the quake, so that their half-century-long hostility can continue amidst a calamity.

On Oct. 8, India offered joint relief operations with Pakistan. It also said Pakistan could use Indian Kashmir as a base from which to transport relief supplies. Regrettably, Pakistan refused, citing "sensitivities".

India's offer would have sounded magnanimous and irresistible if it hadn't been part of a diplomatic power projection offensive, like its response to the Bhuj earthquake and tsunami. After the tsunami, India was more concerned to send naval relief ships to neighboring countries, than to rush help to Tamil Nadu!

India is preoccupied with transforming its global image from an aid-recipient to an aid-donor. It's another matter that India cannot fully run its elementary education program without substantial aid from the World Bank and the European Union.

India has further dented its own credibility by refusing to share seismic data with Pakistan. It feared this might be used to pinpoint the location of future nuclear experiments.

Underlying this fear is India's opposition to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which will create a network of seismic stations. Another international network has been established by a university consortium to monitor earthquakes worldwide. Joining it would help India cut the response-time to earthquakes. But obsession with nuclear weapons distorts India's thinking.

Pakistan was wrong to reject India's offer and block direct people-to-people contact. Its "sensitivities" speak of the paranoid fear that accepting Indian aid would indicate "weakness".

This is a fraudulent notion of "national pride" and "prestige". For Pakistan's rulers, defending their "image" was more important than saving lives.

Pakistan needs all the help it can receive. This is its worst- ever disaster. Pakistan has little experience of large-scale relief or rehabilitation. Over 3.5 million Pakistanis have become homeless. They need over six lakh shelters immediately -- before the winter sets in.

Ten days into the disaster, the government wasn't even able to provide 40,000 tents.

India has suffered much less from the earthquake. The death- toll is 1,400; 42,000 houses have been totally destroyed; and 75,000 partially damaged.

However, the Indian relief effort is inadequate, say field reports. Thus, writes social activist Sonia Jabbar from Uri: "It has been pouring since the morning and I doubt anyone got any relief through... We had to turn back at about 3 p.m. It's freezing cold and even ...tents and temporary ... shelters are proving ridiculously inadequate..."

The most pressing need is shelter which can withstand the elements. Says Jabbar: "Once winter sets in, high-altitude villages are cut off from Kashmir for 5-6 months. So, whatever needs to happen here must happen in the next couple of weeks on a war-footing".

The Jammu & Kashmir government has all but washed its hands of the imperative of providing temporary shelters. Instead, it has offered Rs 40,000 as the first installment of assistance to each family to rebuild its home.

The money will be wasted. No construction can be done until the winter ends.

The government wants to supply tents to the victims. "But our experience suggests that tents cannot withstand the elements in the mountains", says Dunu Roy of the People's Science Institute, with experience of building temporary shelters since the 1991 Uttarkashi earthquake. "A much better alternative is tin-sheds built with locally available wooden/bamboo poles. In Uttarkashi, we trained local communities to build such shelters".

The government has failed to involve voluntary agencies in preparing relief and rehabilitation plans. The people will judge the success of the relief effort not just on the basis of immediate rescue operations -- which were effective -- , but by whether they are enabled to survive the harsh winter.

Temporary structures will be the central criterion here. These aren't in place.

Amidst the shoddy relief operation, there's pilferage. This is probably worse in Pakistan, where the government plans to import 100,000 tents. This will be a bonanza for corrupt officials. The only way to reduce corruption is to involve local communities in planning relief and rehabilitation.

"Unless local people 'own' the relief process, it doesn't work", says Prema Gopalan of the Swayam Shikshan Prayog, which has done excellent relief work since the Latur earthquake. "Women's involvement is crucial. They alone know the precise needs of the family."

The involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs) will be crucial in rehabilitation. Here, Indian CSOs, and organizations like the Central Building Research Institute and IIT-Roorkee, have rich experience.

Fortunately, the principles of building earthquake-resistant houses are well understood. The additional expense involved is only 10 percent.

Earthquakes are a part of India's geological reality. The Indian tectonic plate is constantly thrusting under the Eurasian plate, causing enormous stresses in rocks. The stresses are periodically released through huge earthquakes. The Himalaya has witnessed four gigantic earthquakes in the past century.

Over one-half of India's land falls within the seismically most active Zones 3 to 5. Zone 5, the most hazardous, includes the Kashmir Valley, Himachal's Chamba and Kangra, and parts of the Northeast. Zone 4 includes Punjab, Himachal and Delhi.

We have to learn to live with earthquakes. How we cope with the present disaster will be a litmus test.