July 29th 2010

In the plains the waters rose slowly, gradually overwhelming everything around - farms, villages, cities, people. In the hills the floods came as roaring torrents of destruction carrying away everything in their path.
in the Upper Neelum Valley of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir 63,000 people across 17 villages had been affected by the widespread flood damage. Thousands were in desperate need of food and shelter. The floods had caused extensive damage to houses, roads, and water supplies. Floodwaters had swept away houses, water channels and water defences, water supply pipes, electric power, footbridges, roads and tracks, and much of the small amount of arable land in the steep sided valleys.

EDA completed a 5 month tour-de-force in the Upper Neelum Valley , beginning with immediate aid deliveries in September and continuing to a main program running from late August 2010 to early January 2011

Why Tour-de-force?

With very limited resources (a total of £54,000 including £37,500 from the Scottish Government) EDA provided essential expertise and supplies of cement and steel cages to enable the villagers themselves to repair broken roads, bridges, irrigation canals, and flour mills, and restore water and electricity supplies; and provided light and heat, household goods, bedding and hygiene kits to help those forced to survive the high altitude winter in makeshift accommodation.

The work was completed in time, before the winter snows set in, before the cold stopped cement setting, before snow and ice made the roads and landslips all but impassable.

In the higher villages inaccessible to wheeled vehicles, EDA took to horses, donkeys and porters, and two feet, to complete the program.

• An absolute miniumum went on salaries and overheads - all senior staff, including Pakistan staff, worked as volunteers.
• Local people gave maximum cooperation, sharing ownership of projects from their inception: contributing a modicum to costs, and almost all labour.
• Villagers can now once more move from village to village, access services in the larger hamlets, get produce to and from markets .
• with the repair of most irrigation canals, the Spring crops will not fail
• Because of the supply of solar powered LED lanterns, the people living in makeshift shelters had at least some light in the long winter nights
• Because of repair of watermills , corn ould once again be ground locally
• with local manufacture of wood stoves, fuel is burned efficiently, saving eyes and lungs from smoke, reducing the amount of wood that has to be carried, and reducing pressure on the forest
• supply of quilts and blankets and household goods has ensured that those who have lost all, now have at least the bare essentials of living
• repair of water supply pipes has ensured that the people continue to have a clean piped water nearby

Sept 5th: First Aid Gets Through

On Sept. 5th for the first time since the floods came to the Valley, it was possible for small trucks and other transport to get through to the area from Muzaffarabad, though not yet to the higher villages.

An EDA party made it through to the worst affected area for the first time: a nightmare journey taking 11 hours or more each way, traversing 160 km of twisting riverside and hillside roads, over insecure lanes bulldozed through landslip debris and hanging perilously to cliff sides with the rushing river waters far below.

This was the road

The villagers were overjoyed and overwhelmed to see the party: this is the first aid that they have seen other than small helicopter food drops by World Food Program in some of the most isolated settlements. Probably the confirmation that somebody cares, that someone was going to help, was more important than the aid that we were able on this occasion to bring. But to the families who had lost their homes and all their possessions, the benefit of the quilts and cooking utensils was great, as was their gratitude - manifested by many praises to God, and kissing of hands of our volunteers.

Systematic Distribution

The aid was not distributed haphazardly, but only after discussion with the VCCs (Village Consultative Councils) of the area. Lists of the families most in need were first drawn up, and then the distribution was effected in cooperation with members of these local councils.

The Main Relief Effort: October 2010-January 2011

In October, the Scottish Government Department of International Development made a grant to EDA of £37,500 under its emergency program for Pakistan. Taking this together with about £25000 donated by private donors, we had £60,000 for relief work in the Upper Neelum Our original project goal was to provide emergency shelter for people displaced from hill communities in the Upper Neelum Valley. After consultation with other NGO’s working in the area, and taking into account our own needs-surveys, this became: “To assist with shelter amenities – heating, water supply and lighting – for those in need of shelter; to re-establish communication by repair of footbridges (and some road bridges); and to stabilise dangerous embankments near to habitations.”
These goals were all achieved within the limits of the available budget: Water supply was restored to the two large villages which had lost their water pipelines. Fuel efficient stoves and solar-powered lanterns were supplied to all those in emergency shelters (the shelters themselves were supplied by other NGOs) All the most used river crossings that had been damaged or destroyed were repaired or re-instated, opening up safe and essential communications between villages. An essential road bridge was replaced by Pakistan army engineers using EDA supplied materials and stonemasons.
Many repairs to protective walls and broken irrigation channels were carried out. We lacked the means to repair all the micro-hydro plants which had been destroyed, but 12 were successfully restored. We were also able to repair most damaged community water mills for grinding flour.
Being able to adapt swiftly and effectively to local needs, was one of EDA’s main strengths. Such quick and effective response was made possible by detailed and thorough field assessments by the Project Directors and an excellent team of local Field staff. These assessments were continuous and carried out in combination with monitoring of ongoing recovery activities in all areas of our flood zone. The work was physically demanding and sometimes risky. Prioritising tasks was difficult. When lives were at risk because local people, out of desperation, had hastily thrown together a totally unsafe dolly cable crossing, EDA had to act fast. When the main bridge connecting one badly damaged valley, was swept away, EDA restored this in order for vital supplies to reach those most badly affected and enabling other NGO’s to access the area with recovery materials. As far as possible, EDA followed a plan of early recovery activities, designed to allow the local population to get their lives back on track: but this plan was, by necessity, fluid, and adaptable. The careful procurement of materials and the contribution of community labour, meant that our finances could be expanded to answer the needs of greater numbers of people, some of whom just needed a little help to achieve an effective community recovery. As these communities began to try to restore/repair some of their infrastructure, EDA responded accordingly, supporting and complementing these efforts throughout the 3 month project.

Our Neelum River area project delivered a diverse range of recovery activities in both major valleys of operation. These were:

Restoration of 14 vital river crossing points,(footbridge, dolly cables, and main road bridge). Restoration of 12 Micro Hydro plants supplying electric light to remote valley communities. Restoration of 2 major water supplies to combined population of 6,000. Construction of 15 arable land/housing protection walls left vulnerable to further collapse by changed river course. Distribution of 300 fuel efficient winter stoves to transitional shelters constructed by Islamic Relief. Distribution of 300 solar lights to flood affectees with no access to electric light for winter. Restoration of 9 community water mills for grinding maize for flour. Restoration of 12 irrigation channels in preparation for new spring growing season for subsistence farmers.

Villages carry a new (250 kg) alternator for the Sangam hydro scheme down a steep rocky valley side to the hydro station

SOME HIGH POINTS:....

Fuel Efficient Stoves and Solar Lanterns

Stoves and hot water geysers piled up for distribution

Much cooking is done on open fires in shelters and houses and the air quality inside these homes is very poor. Children particularly, suffer from eye and chest problems. To help with this problem EDA supplied fuel efficient stoves with chimneys, and a hot water tank. The stoves and geysers had a simple and efficient design, chosen by the women themselves. These stoves improve air quality by taking away damaging smoke and thus help to improve the health of the large numbers of children living in these homes. While the stove is going the geysers can supply 30 litres of warm water for washing and domestic tasks, greatly improving family hygiene.

Local women deciding on the type of fuel efficient stove they wanted supplied

In early December 2010 EDA provided solar-powered lanterns to those homes/shelters unable to access hydro power electricity due to damage. Having these lights enabled women to carry out tasks more easily during the long, dark winter evenings. These lights also enabled children to continue their school studies and read at night throughout the 5 months of harsh winter. right: Maggie Tookey (joint Country Director) checking solar lights outside EDA office in Kel

EDA also rebuilt a basic health facility for communities living at around 10,000ft. The previous clinic had been completely destroyed by the flood waters. This facility provided basic health services to around 2,500 people from several high mountain communities and most of its beneficiaries were women and children. It is now able to once again offer MCH (Mother Child Health) services including an immunisation programme. left: New first-aid post at Domail Bala (10,000') under construction

Restoring water supplies

Pipes on their way to the repaired water source for Kel

Repaired water tank at Kalalot

Women carry out all domestic tasks in the Neelum Valley area. One of these major tasks is keeping the home and family supplied with fresh water. With the destruction of so many water supply systems, this meant that women and girls were forced to walk up to a kilometre to fetch water from mountain springs. This was both time consuming and physically hard. By restoring 2 sizeable water supplies, we were able to free these women from this particular task thus enabling them to spend valuable time on other important family activities.

The Dolly Cable crossing over the Surgan river

the cable anchorage was most unsafe after the floods

Nearly all crossing points in both the Surgan and Shounter Valleys,had been completely destroyed by the flood. These crossing points are vital for the effective function of the mountain communities spread up and down both valleys. People need to access not only their cattle, and maize crops on each side of the river, but also their dispersed neighbours and relatives. These crossing points also provide a route for some 15,000 nomads who move up and down from the high Himalayan pastures .

new dolly with Cage, safe anchorage