SRINAGAR, 22 October 2005 — Earthquake survivors in Indian Kashmir facing bitter cold appealed to relief agencies yesterday for more kangris, a traditional form of heater used for centuries in the region when fuel is scarce.
With India providing less than half the 35,000 tents needed for survivors of the Oct. 8 quake, which destroyed more than 40,000 homes weeks before the onset of winter, and electricity and kerosene in short supply, residents are increasingly relying on old-fashioned sources of heat.
Kangris are mud pots containing hot charcoal which are enclosed in wicker and placed under a long gown known as a feran to provide warmth.
“The best way to protect us is to provide us kangri and charcoal,” survivor Hatim Din told relief workers from Salamabad, one of the 95 villages flattened by the earthquake in Kashmir’s Uri region.
Kashmiris are also asking for bokhari, a small, round charcoal-fueled heater that can be placed inside tents to ward off cold. Bokharis are less of a fire hazard than kerosene heaters that can be used only in heavy canvas tents with proper ventilation.
A doctor treating survivors said there is an urgent need for traditional heaters as most tents are made of nylon and cannot withstand heavy rains or snowfall which can reach three meters (10 feet).
“We are trying to provide them tents and shelters, but we will soon have to look for other means to keep them warm,” said Parvaiz Masudi.
Aid groups say villagers are increasingly asking for traditional heaters because electricity is rare and fuels like kerosene are too heavy to transport in great quantity.
“We have distributed several hundred kangris among the needy. We are acquiring more,” said Shakeel Bakshi, a local volunteer.
The 7.6-magnitude quake killed more than 1,300 people in Indian Kashmir and injured more than 5,000. More than 100,000 people were left homeless and the federal and state governments say the shortage of tents suitable for winter conditions has meant that many spend the night in the open without a heat source.
“To be frank enough we are concentrating more this time on acquiring tents. Once that is done we will start looking for heaters,” said a senior government officer involved in relief distribution.
Masudi and other doctors have already treated cases of hypothermia.
“People, especially children, have started feeling the brunt of the cold in tents and temporary sheds,” he said, adding some survivors have complained of throat and lung problems.
Smoke from makeshift fires fueled by wood pulled out of flattened homes has brought on respiratory ailments that are not as seen with the kangri or bokhari.
“To prevent deaths, the need for kangris is as important as providing them basic shelter,” he said, adding that more blankets, bedding and warm clothes were needed as well.
Masudi also said that many of the villagers have never lived in tents and need education on how to prevent tragedies like fire or smoke asphyxiation.
“Providing battery-operated lights is preferred over candles and kerosene-run lights,” says Masudi, adding some of the tents could catch fire easily.
Indian federal minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the government is setting up some 200 cold-proof shelters at various places where people can sleep at night and work during the day to rebuild their houses.
“Efforts are on to complete these centers before Eid Al-Fitr,” said Azad, referring to the biggest Muslim festival that marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Six Killed, 12 Injured in Latest Violence in Quake-Hit Kashmir
Troops killed four militants in Kashmir yesterday, one of them during a failed raid on a municipal office, while rebels killed two soldiers and injured 12 other people, police said.
One militant was killed by Indian troops yesterday and another escaped after the attack on the municipal office, a police spokesman said.
One soldier was killed and one other wounded in the gunbattle near Sopore, 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Srinagar, after the two militants wearing police uniforms opened fire on the office, the spokesman said.
“Police guards deployed at the office also opened fire forcing the two militants to flee,” the spokesman said. “A patrol party of soldiers in the area immediately engaged the two in a firefight killing one of them,” the spokesman said, adding soldiers were searching for the second militant.
Rebels opposed municipal elections in Kashmir early this year and have killed six local officials since the polls.
Meanwhile, 12 people, including three policemen, were injured in a grenade attack by suspected militants in summer capital Srinagar’s busy Batamaloo area yesterday evening, police said.
“The attack was directed at a police patrol party,” the spokesman said.
On Thursday, an Indian Army soldier and a militant were killed during a clash in southern Doda district, while Indian troops shot dead two militants in southern Pulwama district around same time, police said.
On Tuesday two rebels raided the high-security residence of the region’s junior education minister and shot him dead, along with a visitor and two guards.
