Bulletin 3 - Logistics update

Content

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.

CONTENT:

• 1. Logistics Overview
• 2. Rail: A Logistics Option for Mansehra
• 3. Mapping
• 4. Aviation: Congestion and Co-ordination
• 5. Road Access
• 6. Contact Addresses, Physical and E-mail

1. Logistics Overview

The structure of the logistical response to the emergency is taking shape with the establishment of main hubs by a number of key humanitarian agencies at Manshera and Muzaffarabad, in the heart of the affected area, together with up to four other smaller hubs at Bagh, to the south-east of Muzaffarabad, and Balakot, Batagram and Besham to the north. These latter three locations can be serviced from Manshera (which in turn can be supplied through Islamabad and Rawalpindi), with Besham also serviceable from Peshawar. The Pakistani authorities, in addition to their regular infrastructure on the ground, are operating the national relief effort out of about a dozen forward operating bases in some of these same locations.

Manshera is a major transportation intersection for traffic from Rawalpindi, Pakistani-controlled Jammu and Kashmir, the Karakorum Highway and the Kaghan and Swat valleys. Although increasingly congested with poor helicopter access, operations from there can generally address the Kaghan Valley, to the north-east, as far as Naran. Beyond that, the need reduces significantly. Operations from Muzaffarabad can generally service the surrounding area and the Neelum Valley, running parallel to the Kaghan Valley, as far as Kel, at the edge of the damage zone, where there has been minimal effect.

Responding organisations - UN and NGO's alike - are now moving beyond the initial response phase to developing sustainable logistics programmes for the duration of the winter and, if necessary, beyond. Agencies are aware that there are insufficient stocks of tents worldwide to meet the need, despite Pakistan being the world's leading manufacturer of tents and an export ban on tents so that they may be available for the crisis. As such, alternatives to tents for shelter are being actively considered and may shape the nature of the shelter logistics response.

A complicating factor increasing the need for shelter is the continuous series of smaller aftershocks still affecting the area almost two weeks after the major earthquake (and more aftershocks expected). Many houses were damaged but not destroyed and people are fearful of moving back into homes or occupying other buildings in case they collapse during a subsequent earthquake.

2. Rail: A Logistics Option for Mansehra

With Mansehra emerging as one of the two main hubs in the affected area, responding agencies could consider utilising the rail route from Rawalpindi to Havelian (the official southern end of the Karakorum Highway) for humanitarian logistics. This applies particularly for heavier cargos. Onward trucking is available for the 41km to Mansehra via Abbottabad on the first stretch of the Karakorum Highway, although trans-shipment from train to truck may add time and cost.

Transit time by train from Rawalpindi to Havelian is about three hours. UNJLC has yet to assess freight rates for the rail and to ascertain storage capacity in the town. It is understood from discussion with people familiar with the area that suitable facilities are available, or land on which temporary warehouses can be constructed is available.

Beyond Havelian, the distance to Abbotabad is only 15km but the rise in elevation is 500m in that distance. Laden trucks can therefore take up to two hours for the journey. A better gradient and road surface from Abbottabad to Mansehra allows the distance of 26 km to be covered in about an hour. Total road distance from Rawalpindi to Mansehra is 128km. As such, though using rail, 87km of potentially difficult road can be eliminated.

3. Mapping

Further commercial sources identified for maps, in addition to those notes in Bulletin 2 of October 19th, are:

• Survey of Pakistan

Murree Road, Faizabad, ph: (051) 929-0230

Directions: Follow road from Islamabad to Islamabad International Airport. Turn right onto the Murree Road towards Rawalpindi. Intersection has an overpass. Survey of Pakistan said to be about 500 metres towards Rawalpindi on right hand side.

A variety of maps are available with a commercial outlet outside the gate.

• Haqqi Brothers

22 Urdu Bazaar, Karachi

UNJLC makes no assurance that maps will be available, in sufficient stock, or of their fitness for purpose.

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. Logistics maps are also available from our website here.

4. Aviation: Congestion and Co-ordination

The aviation situation continues to be complex with the major airlift of international relief supplies into Islamabad and delays in removing these goods from the airhead in Islamabad creating causing congestion and storage problems.

Mission tasking for the approximately two dozen helicopters provided by foreign countries and organizations and Pakistan's own fleet of about 30 to 35 machines is undertaken by the Pakistani military, mainly from the Chaklala Military Airport near Islamabad. This is the primary helicopter operating base for the emergency, servicing up to a further dozen - depending on the day and environment - forward operating bases.

The airport is divided into a military and a civilian side with goods donated from abroad for the people of Pakistan (i.e. goods without a particular consignee to receive, store and distribute them in Pakistan) or from within Pakistan offloaded on the military side. Goods with consignees, generally for UN agencies and international NGO's, are offloaded on the civilian side. Unconsigned goods are stored in three hangars or designated spaces as follows:

"    Hangar 14 (covered): food, blankets and water;
"    A medicine hangar ; and
"    Hangar 9 (open space) for shelter items.

These unconsigned goods are then loaded onto helicopters and flown to the affected areas. However, onward distribution from the forward operating bases is problematic. Little - if any - commodity tracking is taking place. No one can say what cargo has gone where. Pilot debriefs indicate that some forward operating bases are more than adequately supplied whilst others have so little that tensions are arising the populations in the immediate area. The flow of these unconsigned goods from the military side is push-based and fragmented, although it is occurring. The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs Emergency Coordination Cell  estimating a throughput of about 2900 tonnes in the first ten days of the emergency.

On the civilian side of Chaklala, where UN agency and NGO supplies are offloaded, the situation is difficult with limited truck access. Long lines of trucks are forming outside the gate as they await permission to enter. Part of the congestion and delay occurs because planes cannot offload directly into trucks. The system requires - seemingly for commercial reasons rather than on grounds of logistical efficiency - that ground handling agents offload the aircraft and the reload the goods onto consignees' trucks. A further problem has arisen with consignees not collecting their goods promptly, causing storage congestion. The situation is developing to a point where the authorities may assume responsibility for goods not collected and distribute them through their own system. i.e. uncollected goods could be forfeited.

5. Road Access

According to UNDSS (UN Department of Safety and Security), the status of access for the main routes in the North West Frontier Province is unchanged since the previous bulletin of October 18th, 2005.

However, Abbottabad to Murree route, the Muzarrafabad to Bagh route, and the passage from Peshawar through the Shangla district at Khawaza Khela are likely to be closed with snow in winter from mid to late December for several months. There is thus a two-month window to ensure that these areas are adequately serviced, less if winter comes early. It may be possible to keep the Muzarrafabad to Bagh road open with the use of bulldozers but this cannot be guaranteed.

6. Contact Addresses, Physical and E-mail

UNJLC Pakistan Earthquake is located in the WFP Afghanistan Liaison office, House 2, Street 2, F-8/3, Islamabad alongside UN Humanitarian Air Services, with a presence in the UN Emergency Response Centre, UNICEF Building, 90 Marghalla Road, F-8/2, Islamabad. Staff are also deployed to the Islamabad International Airport with day missions to the affected area, particularly Muzaffarabad and Manshera. Current international staffing in country is stable at seven

Generic e-mail address for UNJLC Pakistan: pakistan@unjlc.org

For matters related to air: pakistan.air@unjlc.org

Detailed information on the clusters being used to manage the humanitarian response is available on www.un.org.pk.

Daily situation reports from the UN Emergency Response Centre - Islamabad are available on www.reliefweb.int.