Background and Objectives

Objectives

On 8 October 2005, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter near Muzaffarabad struck Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. It is estimated that more than 40,000 people lost their lives, rendered more than 3,000,000 people homeless, and severely damaged and destroyed about 75 percent of the houses, commercial units, health facilities and administrative buildings in the most severely affected districts.

The humanitarian community responded very rapidly bringing essential relief to affected families. The inaccessibility to some of worst hit areas and harsh winter conditions made the relief operation an extremely difficult task.

Support to spontaneous shelter rehabilitation as part of emergency relief and early recovery assistance to the earthquake affected communities, UN-HABITAT provided early assistance in provision of winter shelter including materials, tools to 7,000 occupants of 1,000 dera. Kits of tools and materials, can be reusable in permanent shelters to be constructed in the following season.