As of 1800 hours local, October 18th, 2005
UNJLC Bulletins aim to provide a clear and concise regular overview of the situation as it exists in the earthquake-affected area of Pakistan and contiguous areas with regards to logistics matters affecting immediate relief work by the humanitarian community. They focus on practical issues that affect the welfare of the afflicted populace and related humanitarian work such as the status of transport routes for humanitarian supplies and personnel into the area, relevant administrative or commercial developments, air (including strategic airlift and helicopter operations), Customs and immigration matters, and availability of accommodation and fuels. They further seek to identify major issues for the humanitarian community and other interested parties, to provide relevant background and constructive recommendations on current issues, and to alert responsible parties to emerging issues. This bulletin will be produced daily until further notice
1. Activation and Deployment
A UNJLC for the Pakistan Earthquake, activated four days after the event, comprises four main cells. The first three, Logistics, Air and Civil-Military Co-ordination, are located in the WFP Afghanistan Liaison office, House 2, Street 2, F-8/3, Islamabad alongside UN Humanitarian Air Services. The fourth, the Information Cell is co-located with the UN Emergency Response Centre, UNICEF Building, 90 Marghalla Road, F-8/2, Islamabad.
Further support particularly in GIS and mapping, commodity tracking and administration is provided by the UNJLC Core Unit in Rome, with a civil-military co-ordination function, dealing primarily with NATO, in Brussels.
2. Logistics Overview
The harsh and steep nature of the mountainous terrain of the affected region, combined with the scale of the destruction, injuries and human need, rank this disaster among the most difficult the humanitarian community has ever faced in terms of logistics. The logistical challenge is greatly exacerbated by the impending winter which will make overland operations very difficult with snow, and limit flying time with winter storms and high winds. Access to the approximately 40,000 sq. km affected area is very difficult with no navigable marine routes and landslides affecting what were already, in many areas, poor roads.
In order to address this challenge and make the most of the limited logistical resources available, and to help the humanitarian community respond in the most effective manner within the few weeks available before the onset of winter, UNJLC urgently needs to develop a comprehensive overview of the logistics situation by identifying what relief items respective agencies and NGO's have in their pipelines, in-country in Pakistan, and already on-forwarded; transport assets; Logistics Bases and Hubs, and logistics staff deployed.
A questionnaire to ascertain this was distributed to all members of the Logistics Cluster and should be returned as soon as possible to Pakistan@unjlc.org. Other interested parties who did not receive a copy of the questionnaire may request it from that address.
3. Logistics Concept
The nature of the terrain, the limited resources available both in supplies and logistics to serve in excess of 3 million affected people, and the effect of winter on humanitarian operations is suggesting what may be a two-pronged concept of logistical operations:
- Moving people, where possible, or requiring them to move, to areas where the gradient of the land allows the construction of camps that can be serviced adequately throughout the winter and beyond. This may involve the establishment of camps in a limited number of hubs that allow effective use of the economies of scale of logistical resources and larger camps, and requiring affected people to move to these hubs to receive shelter and aid;
- A separate effort to address the needs of those fewer people in the steeper, higher country who cannot themselves move to lower, flatter ground, or who cannot be moved.
In practical terms, it may be possible, logistically, to service those people concentrated in camps on the flatter ground throughout the winter without the extensive use of expensive and scare air assets. This would in turn free up air assets to service people in the more inaccessible places. The window of opportunity to ensure that these people are resourced sufficiently to survive the winter is now only a matter of weeks. After that, it may be logistically impracticable to service them.
The priority for logistics continues to be shelter. Affected communities generally have limited food stocks that they were, as usual, accumulating for winter. However, without shelter, these stocks will have been destroyed or deteriorate. With disrupted livelihoods and blocked roads, it is proving difficult or impossible for many affected people to replace supplies through regular means. Providing shelter will not only provide protection from the elements but allow preservation of a greater proportion of existing food stocks.
Of greatest concern are those people in the logistically hard-to-reach areas. NGOs are, understandably, focusing on easy-to-reach areas. They are encouraged to also consider the more difficult areas.
4. Rail
A railway runs about 60km from Rawalpindi (and effectively Islamabad, given that the two share an airport) to Havelian, about 30km north of Islamabad, on the edge of the affected area. It is understood that there are substantial storage facilities at Havelian, a two-hour drive by truck to Abbottabad. Beyond that, it is a further one hour to Mansehra, in the heart of the affected area and one of the main hubs being established by key agencies.
The railway connects to Peshawar (about 167 km from Islamabad) and to Lahore (about 288 km), as well as to Pakistan's main port of Karachi, 1580 km to the south. UNJLC will investigate the prospects of using this railway for humanitarian logistics, and particularly the linkage to Peshawar and Lahore airports as alternate air points of arrival to the now congested Islamabad-Rawalpindi airport.
5. Mapping
A demand for commercial maps for general orientation and for Islamabad has emerged among responding humanitarian organisations, particularly international NGO's. This is above and beyond the needs met by UNJLC, the Humanitarian Information Centre, and MapAction. UNJLC has identified several commercial suppliers within Pakistan as follows, but makes no assurance that maps will be available, in sufficient stock, or of their fitness for purpose:
Book Fair - 12-D Jinnah Super Market Book_fair@email.com - F-7 Markaz, Islamabad - Ph: (051) 265-0080 and 265-0595; Fax: 265-0895
Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation - Tourism Information Centre, Agha Khan Road - Markaz F-6 Super Market, Islamabad - Ph: (051) 920-2766 and 921-2760; Fax: 920-4027 - tourism@isb.comsats.net.pk
ETCO Printers - akramkzm@yahoo.com - 6-B Royal Centre - Blue Area, Islamabad - Ph: (051) 287-2240; Fax: (051) 280-6204
Other commercial map suppliers are invited to provide their contact details. Readers may advise john.levins@unjlc.org of other useful sources of maps, with contact details.
The 33-inch by 24-inch foldable General Logistics and Planning Map for Northern Pakistan and Kashmir, http://www.unjlc.org/Pakistan/Maps/ unjlcgeographicmap. 2005-10-13.3290202494. should be available in printed form this week. The map covers the affected area and contiguous areas that may be used for logistics access, showing the area between approximately three degrees longitude east of 72 degrees, 45 minutes East, and between 32 degree, 20 minutes East, and 36 degrees East.
Further maps are available from the Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC), Enquiries can be directed to e-mail mapaction.fieldbase@gmail.com or visit www.mapaction.org.
6. Aviation
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is establishing an air bridge between Incirlik in Turkey and Islamabad, and from other points as necessary in Europe.
UNJLC, through its civil-military co-ordination cells in Brussels and Islamabad, is the focal point for requesting NATO air assets. All requests should be directed through UNJLC. Approaches by organisations or countries directly to NATO may only serve to impede the flow of goods.
The initial flights have already landed a 60-person SRSA camp, destined for Muzaffarabad. Flights schedules for the coming days will lift 850 tonnes of UNHCR tents and stoves, starting 19th October. This may be followed by between 500 and 1000 tonnes of WFP high energy biscuits and other items, depending on other transport options.
UNJLC will shortly publish procedures for requesting NATO airlift and what documentation is required in the requests. The requests will be forwarded to and approved or rejected by NATO political headquarters in Europe. UNJLC in Islamabad will negotiate slots for landing in Pakistan - particularly at the now congested Islamabad International Airport - and take the necessary action to co-ordinate offloading and despatch from the airport in Pakistan.
7. Road Access
According to UNDSS (UN Department of Safety and Security), the access status of the following main routes in the North West Frontier Province, at time of writing, is as follows:
Open
- Islamabad to Muzaffarabad, via Muree
- Islamabad to Muzaffarabad, via Manshera and Ghari Habibullah
- Islamabad to Bagh, via Rawalakot
- Manshera to Balakot
- Karakorum Highway, Manshera to Batagram
- Karakorum Highway, Thakat to Bisham
- Swat to Shangla Pass, towards Karakorum Highway
- Muzaffarabad to Bagh
- Muzaffarabad to Chakoti, up to one km short of Garhi Dupatta
- Bagh to Haji Pier Pass
Closed
- Muzaffarabad to Neelum Valley
- Balakot to Kaghan Valley.
Since the previous bulletin, the route from Islamabad to Bagh via Rawalakot has opened, as has the Bagh to Haji Pier Pass road, except for the latter part of the route. Expectations have diminished for an early opening of the Balakot to Kaghan Valley route. No current information is available on the Karakorum Highway route between Batagram and Thakat Bridge but it is probably still closed.
The Karakorum Highway is the main route between North Pakistan and China, passing from Islamabad to the west of the affected area, through the North-West Frontier Province and through the Gilgit Agency into China.
BULLETIN ENDS