From: "SRC-A.L.Adv." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Fw: Gujarat Earthquake [DEVASTATION IN BHACHAU IN KACHH BHUJ] Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 14:47:00 +0500 > From: Shyam Parekh[[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: 29 January, 2001 3:57 PM > Subject: URGENT:Gujarat Earthquake > > Dear All, > I am Shyam Parekh, Senior News Correspondent with the Times of India, > Ahmedabad, (Gujarat) India, specialisaing in environment. > I am writing this with an express purpose to update you all about the > situation here and seek your help - information wise. > As you all must have known, my state has been ravaged by an earthquake which > measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and was the biggest since the one we had > experienced in 1819. > There have been as many as 200 tremors since the quake hit us, stunning > everyone of us. > > A day after the quake I managed to reach to a place called Bhachau which is > a taluka (a district division) headquarter. I could not believe my eyes that > while all the government aid, international rescue teams, armed forces, > international media and TV personnel focused on the district headquarter > called Bhuj (the district is called Kutchh) there was absolutely no aid, > > I repeat there was absolutely no help from outside the town here after 35 > hours of the devastation. > > > As a result some 10,000 residents of this town which had a population of > 35,000 have perished from what I estimate and what the surviving locals told > me. There 'were' 72 smaller towns and villages around Bhachau with a > population of 1.5 to two lakhs (0.2 million). All these villages have > perished, repeat they have perished. Not a single man-made structure has > survived the quake. As entire villages and towns have disappeared under > debris and the administrative people from the village too have gone > underneath nobody is there tell what is the real damage. > > > Though the government has not accepted the death-toll in Kutchh district > alone will cross one lakh or more. > I am talking about only one taluka called Bhachau, which is the worst hit. > > There are dozens more around it and nobody knows what is the situation the re > as the state government, the Centre and the administration have focussed on > the city of Bhuj, which had a population of nearly 2.5 lakhs [250,000] and > where nearly 20,000 have died. > > > I request you all to spread the word that the devastation is complete here, > many many more time than what is seen on the TV or read in the newspapers. > > > So if your countries/ organisation are sending rescue teams and aid please > ask them to focus more on places from where there are no reports. Just look > at the map and find out Kutchh distcit in the Westernmost tip of India and > things will be clear. > > > If teams are coming here ask them to go fully equipped for themselves with > food, water etc. There are decaying corpse everywhere and no rescue work is > needed. Lots of medical attention including psychological treatment will be > necessary, as those who survived and seen their relatives getting buried and > tortured under rubble for 36 hours before they died have become quite > strange. > > I will request one more help from you all, its please send me as much > information on earth-quake as much you can, particularly about seismic > activity in this region as we have only very sketchy information. > > > We would like details about possibility of recurrences, how to repair the > buildings multi-storeyed in Ahmedabad which have developed cracks and faults > as about two million people in Ahmedabad alone and some five million in > Gujarat, are on roads as they are not allowed to stay in shattered > buildings. > > > Please let me know very URGENTLY about the repairing and restucturing of > buildings to make them livable. > > My contact: > Shyam Parekh, > Senior News Correspondent, > The Times of India, > AHMEDABAD. > Phone: 91-79-6585778 / 6582151-5 / 6582886 > Fax: 91-79-6583758 > e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cellular: 98250-22968 > Fw by Ayaz Latif Palijo Advocate SRC Sindh Pakistan --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mulai langganan: kirim e-mail ke [EMAIL PROTECTED] Stop langganan: kirim e-mail ke [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archive ada di http://www.mail-archive.com/envorum@ypb.or.id
