SHARANA (SW) – Paktika’s Gayan district residents continue to reel from the devastating impacts of last year’ deadly earthquake.
A number of residents of Paktika’s Gayan district, whose houses were destroyed by the earthquake in the summer, told Salam Watandar that after several months, they still have no houses to live in and are spending the cold winter nights and days in tents.
They say that a number of organizations that had promised them new homes, have left their houses unfinished and left the area. The earthquake victims are complaining that they are spending the cold winter weather in their tents and no one has helped them with fuel to heat their tents.
The residents of Gayan District say that the weather has become very cold in this area and children, women and elderly people cannot live in tents.
Shahir Khan and Wali Jan, residents of Guyan District, told Salam Watandar: “People here live in misery, it’s cold, it’s freezing, children are facing problems, young people are facing problems; If the government and aid organizations do not cooperate with us, there will be a great crisis in this region or district, also because of the cold. Because it is very cold here. People live in huts and tents. No one paid attention to it. We need help, cooperation and assistance this winter.”
“The aid institutions have gone away, leaving the houses in ruins. We live in tents. We are facing serious problems. If the houses are not built for us, we do not have enough resources to build them. It is snowing all over the place, it’s very cold. Houses should be built for us.”
The officials of Paktika also acknowledge the problems of earthquake-affected families, but they add that aid is being distributed by organizations and charities.
Mutaullah Mansour, the head of Paktika’s natural disaster management authority, said that the aid organizations have stopped their work because of the cold weather and will start again when it warms up.
According to the officials, although the district has provided a lot of assistance in terms of health to the earthquake victims, but with the arrival of winter, the level of respiratory diseases among children and elderly people has also increased.
ENDS
