MUZAFFARABAD: The 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan, especially Muzaffarabad, Balakot on October 8, 2005, was a horrific tragedy in the country’s history.
The signs of which are still fresh today, as the rehabilitation work in the affected areas has not been completed even after 2 decades.
As a result of this devastating earthquake, more than 73,000 people, including 20,000 children, lost their lives, while more than 150,000 were injured and twice that number were displaced.
The earthquake affected an area of 28,000 square kilometers, and more than 400 villages were wiped out, as well as 16,000 schools and 80% of health centers.
According to the Department of Statistics, 35,803 deaths and 114,410 houses were destroyed in Muzaffarabad alone. In the Bagh district, 19,129 people were killed and thousands were injured.
Immediately after the disaster, the government and international organizations launched rescue and relief operations.
The United Nations, the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, and the European Union provided financial, medical, and technical assistance.
Food, medicine, and temporary shelter were arranged in the affected areas.
Following the earthquake, the Pakistani government established the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), which initiated thousands of rehabilitation and reconstruction projects.
In November 2021, ERRA was merged with the National Disaster Management Authority, and now the NDMA office is located in the ERA’s Islamabad head office.
According to the latest data, a target of 7,608 projects was set, of which 5,878 (77 percent) projects were completed, 919 are under construction, and 811 projects are still under construction.
The highest number of projects completed so far in the education sector is 2,718. 128 health projects and 223 drinking water projects have been completed, thus a total of Rs 24 billion worth of development work has been done in 20 years.
The earthquake in Balakot claimed more than 17,000 lives and caused huge financial losses, but the victims are still waiting for full rehabilitation.
The construction of New Bakriyal City is delayed as promised, the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital is incomplete despite a cost of Rs 550 million, while several schools are still functioning in temporary buildings.
An 18-storey ‘Park 1 Tower’ is now being constructed in place of the Margalla Towers in Sector F-10 of Islamabad, which collapsed due to the earthquake.
The project is being developed under the private company APCO, whose bid was accepted for Rs 16.5 billion. The tower will include commercial centers, cinema halls, and residential apartments, and is being made to withstand an 8.5 magnitude earthquake.
The project was supposed to be completed in 2016, but it is still incomplete, although construction is ongoing.
Despite the passage of 20 years, the rehabilitation process in the earthquake-affected areas has not been completed. Many victims are still deprived of basic facilities like housing, education, and health.
