Women struggle to cope with devastation caused by earthquake – Pakistan

MIRPUR: Without running water, Sakina Bibi and her children tried to clean their pots and utensils with a piece of dry cloth.

The kitchen walls in his Mora Saanghome have collapsed, leaving Sakina and her children with nothing to eat.

"We are trying to gather everything that is manageable, but I am concerned about the basic needs of my family," she said. Dawn.

The damage caused by the magnitude 5.8 earthquake on Tuesday left women in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, struggling to deal with damaged homes, with limited resources and no water or electricity.

Power lines were damaged in the earthquake, and authorities have stopped the power supply to prevent electrocution. But this means that the engines that pump water from the wells no longer work.

In another house, Tanzeela and her cousin Javeria were coordinating with army personnel who were moving their household items to the only room that remained intact after the earthquake.

Tanzeela's own father died several years ago, and Javeria's is disabled. Finally it was decided that both families would have to move to a relative's house.

Most of the women were busy discussing plans to move, or whether to spend the night outdoors. The children were in the streets, watching or driving motorcycles.

Ahsan, also from Saang, said he was out to see the damage caused by the earthquake.

“My family decided to move to my grandfather's house, which is nearby and has not been damaged. I just saw what's happening, "he said.

The extraordinary movement of the locals on motorcycles and in automobiles causes severe traffic congestion on the muddy road that faces the villages Saang, Mora Saang and Kikri. Traffic police, military personnel and some locals from Azad Jammu and Kashmir helped keep traffic flow.

Most stores in the area are closed and food storage areas have been damaged, making cooking difficult. As such, the women were the last to eat, since most of the men managed to have lunch in the free kitchen established by an NGO and brought pots and utensils to take food home after eating.

"The various sufferings of women are ignored in such eventualities, and this includes resting because they cannot sleep outdoors and have to wait for men to bring something to eat," said a humanitarian worker.

Even in those families who manage to move to their relatives' homes, women will be responsible for collecting and managing household items to avoid further losses, said the humanitarian worker.

Posted in Dawn, September 26, 2019