New Aid Plan For Quake Survivors

BBC News, Islamabad

April 23, 2006

By Barbara Plett

The government of Pakistan has agreed an action plan with the United Nations to help victims of last October's earthquake rebuild their lives.

It is intended to bridge the transition from relief to reconstruction.

Officials have played down reports of a rift between the UN and Pakistan over the drafting of the plan.

And all sides are keen to avoid the delays that have slowed other major reconstruction efforts, such as the ongoing work in South East Asia to rebuild regions hit by the tsunami 18 months ago.

More than 70,000 people died and about two million were made homeless by the earthquake.

Food for work

The action plan sets out priorities for helping people adjust from living off handouts to rebuilding homes.

Such steps include distributing seeds and livestock and offering food for work.

"This often happens for good reasons. Reconstruction is complex and as we speak, in many of the tsunami-affected locations, that gap has developed. We want to minimise it," he added.

The plan will cost nearly $300m (£170m).

The UN already has one third of that and expects to get the rest from existing donor pledges.

Rumoured rift

A private firm will monitor how the money is spent.

Around $100m (£56m) was cut from the original estimated expense.

That, and the delay in reaching agreement, led to reports of a rift between the UN and the Pakistani government.

Officials denied there were disagreements. They said extensive consultations were necessary to ensure the plan was efficient and met the needs on the ground.

More than 1,800 aftershocks have rocked the region since the largest natural disaster in Pakistan's history, while tremors, rain and snow have also contributed to hazardous landslides.

Such dangers are expected to become particularly severe during the monsoon rains expected in June and July.