Work continues in "Dar-ul-Islam", or "Home of Islam", the new name Kala Dhaka residents have reportedly given their area. Several international groups and at least one local NGO are now doing assessments and have started distribution. It's a complicated area, politically-speaking, and this makes it hard for groups to work efficiently and "cleanly", but at least something is happening. ACTED is completing a round of assessments and hoping to serve something like 20,000 people in the area, but it all depends on funding and in-kind donations.

Photo: Nizam ud-Din/Abdul Rehman

Access to distributed items is a big problem in the area. Whether justified or not, many groups are reticent to enter Kala Dhaka, so all the distribution is now being done through the southern city of Darband, just across the border. This results in long trips for most of the people along the 84km road from Darband to Thakot in the north, who often have to cross multiple slides (pictured is a small one) and spend lots of money hiring transport to get to the city, occasionally to find that they must wait for days for the goods to actually be distributed. ACTED hopes to establish a base inside Kala Dhaka for more efficient distribution, and is seeking to transport goods there by helicopter to avoid the landslides on the road which plague transportation in the area. It is also exploring the possibility of hiring locals to do work on the impaired road.

ACTED assessment teams currently use one of our vehicles that is trapped inside the area by landslides, requiring them to make the same difficult journey of our potential beneficiaries.

Photo: Nizam ud-Din/Abdul Rehman

Photo: Nizam ud-Din/Abdul Rehman

Besides the road, one of the biggest problems for locals is the water system, as mentioned before. Precious few systems existed before the earthquake in this very poor area, and most of those that did were damaged or destroyed. Some in the high elevations aren't able to reconstruct their houses because the mud they require can't be created without water. Ironically, rain and snow have now come to them in quantity, causing their own problems. International donor attention is now focusing on the water situation throughout the affected areas. Rebuilding water systems is not the easiest work, given the landscape, the required materials, and the expertise required, but in some ways it's straightforward and achievable. The longstanding water prognosis in Pakistan in general, however, is bleak, and solutions aren't obvious.

Photo: Abdul Rehman

A resident of the Dour Mera area in the Basi Khel tribe.

Photo: Abdul Rehman

A view from the Bartooni area. Not technically in Kala Dhaka, Bartooni is just over the dividing ridge. The locals are Basi Khel tribe members and self-identify as Kala Dhakans.

Photo: Abdul Rehman

Photo: Abdul Rehman

Snow in the Bartooni region. A recent spate of bad weather again hampered efforts.

Photo: Nizam ud-Din/Abdul Rehman

Photo: Nizam ud-Din/Abdul Rehman

Photo: Nizam ud-Din/Abdul Rehman

More destruction in Kala Dhaka. Some villages are hit very hard, others not; a typical pattern in the affected areas.

Photo: Nizam ud-Din/Abdul Rehman