VISIT 1- Keemari Town Relief Camp

DATE: 28 August, 2010

AREA: Hawks bay, Keemari Town, Karachi

VISIT# 1

No. of Camps: 850

No. of families/persons: more then 5,000

General View: As said everything that glitters is not Gold, that’s what we experienced on our first visit to Keemari Town Relief camp. Very organized, clean, properly maintained were the words that came to our mind when we were getting off from the car to enter the relief camp premises.

Once in, we started figuring out how things were going in there. People rushed to us, in order to get some food or any sort of help from us with loads of complains and worries written on their faces. The first administrative camp we came across wanted us to register ourselves, so that they can help us to have a good understanding about the IDPs. The other on our left had good donation of clothes ready to be distributed to the refugees and was being fight on.

Specific Issues: Those IDPs who had not been registered were not provided with the tents. Administration said it takes about 1 day to register them and provide them with al the facilities and help, on the other hand the refugees were complaining that they were asked to show their ID cards, which of course they were not able to pick up while leaving in such emergency.

Kids were the one who had suffered the most. Although they were being provided with food, the nutrition level was going down in the kids as they were not getting quality food to eat, or milk to drink. The food was spicy or oily enough to carter the kids as well as pregnant ladies. There were about 35 pregnant women on the camp, who wanted food supplements, vitamins, calcium and were suffering from different nutritional deficiencies.

Facilities:

FOOD: Cooked food being provided at the administration camp, people have to line up there to get the food, it is mostly briyani or some sort of rice and spicy food. Administration said that they provide powdered milk and tetra packed milk to kids along with the biscuits. Dr. Hina said it will be better if people are proved with cooking utensils and stoves so that they cook for themselves, this will help them divert their minds as well.

BEVERAGES: Drinking water is the same as for different chores. One tent is provided with a cooler to fill in water for their daily use. Two water tankers a day come to fill in the tank at the camp. The refugees complained that the scenario is of that of survival of the fittest, who ever is strong enough to fight for the food and other necessities gets everything, where as other does not.

HYGIENE/TOILETS: People living said that everything provided here is unhygienic, the place is so dirty that it stinks all the time (we did not experience anything like that). We are getting skin diseases because of mosquito and other insects’ bites. Dr. Hina believed that these people have never been taught of hygiene, even though proper washrooms have been built in but no one keeps them clean. They rely on everyone else to do so instead of helping themselves.

MEDICAL: A medical camp by city police has been set up with really friendly staff, which is so ready to help the sick people, with ample medication available. The doctors there were not only concerned about the physical health but their mental and psychological situation as well.