Impacts of earthquake 2005 in
KP & AJK, Pkaistan
Abstract:
Pakistan is a disaster prone country and has always been vulnerable to disaster
risk from range of hazards including droughts, earthquakes, epidemics, floods,
glacial lake, landslides, river erosion and tsunami. Human induced hazards that
threaten the country include transport, industrial, oil spills, urban and forest
fires, civil conflicts and internal displacement of communities due to multi
factors. Prior of 2005 earthquake a reactive emergency response approach has
remained the predominant way of dealing with disasters in Pakistan . The
calamity Act of 1958 was mainly concerned with organizing with emergency
response. An Emergency Relief Cell (ERC) in the cabinet Secretariat was
responsible for organizing disaster response by the federal Govt while a system
of relief commission operated at provincial level. The awareness of policy
makers, media, civil society, NGOs, UN agencies and other stakeholders remained
low about disaster risk management and the country as whole lacked the
systematic approach towards disaster risk management.
However, the devastating October 2005 earthquake made the Govt and the people of
country change the way they perceived disasters. It was understandable that
instead of the conventional reactive approach, a preemptive policy and
institutional agreements needed to be adopted by dealing with disaster to reduce
losses from disasters in future.
The October 2005 Kashmir earthquake enhanced the consciousness about the
increasing vulnerability that the growing population is confronted with. The
increasing population in the earthquake-prone cities is a major reason why the
vulnerability due to earthquake is also increasing. It is globally realized that
poorly-constructed buildings and houses are the main reason for the large number
of victims due to earthquakes.
The earthquake of 8 October 2005 caused unprecedented damage in five districts
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) of Pakistan and six districts of Azad Jummu and
Kashmir(AJK). A very large number of people lost their lives – the latest
estimates are over 85,000 and many more were injured. The earthquake has also
caused huge economic losses. Both private and public assets were destroyed and
normal production and trading activities have been disrupted.