HERAT CITY (SW) – Herat’s devastated earthquake victims say months have passed since the calamity, but their miseries with shelter, food, and other needs of life remain as harsh winter makes life even more difficult for them.
Rough sleeping under a temporary shelter of a tent, Abdul Ghafar Moradi, one of the residents of Mimizak village in the Zindajan district of Herat, said his house was destroyed in the earthquake and is no longer liveable. He added that in this cold weather, he and his family must sleep under a tent.
Complaining about the lack of food and health aid, he said: “Sometimes they give one or two bags of flour. The house is not rebuilt. The doctor did not come to treat the people. We had to go to a private doctor. All the kids and everyone is getting sick. There are no female doctors, and the medicine is not available in public places either.”
Rahima, another resident of Mimizak village in Zindajan district, whose house was also destroyed in the earthquake, said that her family of six has to live in the cold winter under the tent. “We don’t have a place to sit, we pitched a tent on the road. All the children have caught a cold. We went to the doctor in Herat. It is not warm under the tent. Sometimes help and support come, but we are living under the tent, if we could find some firewood, we could stay warm.”
On the other hand, Zalmay Saber, one of the civil activists in the Zindajan district of Herat, says that shelters have not been provided for the victims in the earthquake-affected areas. He added: “Many of them are deprived of help such as a proper house. The houses have not been built for them yet, and while the rain is pouring, they are in desperate need of help and assistance.”
After the earthquakes in Herat, financial assistance worth millions of dollars was delivered by the international community. The US, China, and Japan pledged at least $ 20.4 million, while over 3 million euros worth of assistance was pledged by the European Union for the victims of the earthquake.
Russia and a number of neighbouring countries like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have also donated many tons of food and other supplies.
However, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) issued an urgent call last week for 25 million dollars more to help the victims of Herat.
On October 7 and 11, deadly earthquakes in Herat claimed over 1,500 lives, left many injured, and left a tale of destruction behind.
ENDS
