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Unexploded shells pose risk to thousands of Kashmiris displaced by blast

The death toll from a fire at an Indian army ammunitions base in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to over 20, according to the police.

Officials said the fire, which started on Saturday morning at the Khundru base about 85 kilometres south of the state capital Srinagar, was under control but warned it could take up to six months to clear the area of unexploded shells.

Over 30,000 people were evacuated over the weekend and while many have returned home at least 10,000 are living in basic shelters.

Two Kashmiri militant groups have claimed responsibility for triggering the fire at the depot, a claim refuted by the army.

A team of reporters allowed to visit outer areas found a number of sites in Khundru, Sombrun, Naugam and other villages still littered with live Bofors shells, which pose a further threat to human life. As yet, no police or security force teams have moved in to defuse the explosives.

Villagers in the area, meanwhile, ransacked the Achabal town hall, which was converted into a relief camp by the government after rumours spread that 13 dead bodies were lying there.

The protestors were demanding that the bodies be handed over to them for burial. They set afire blankets given to them by the government, forcing the administration to close down the camp and shift it to another village.

ACTIONAID RESPONSE:

ActionAid along with its local partner organisation, Yateem Trust, are camping in Anantnag and are continuously monitoring the situation. So far food and all other basic requirements for the estimated 10,000 displaced people have been arranged by the host town of Anantnag. A cash collection drive by local people has helped in setting up relief camps.

ActionAid with support from ECHO is providing basic sanitation and health care for displaced people. Three medical camps are being held in Anantnag. ActionAid is also exploring potential partnerships with other organisations to provide basic awareness to children on unexploded shells and a programme of psycho-social care intervention.

“Over a longer term, children's education could be badly affected. We are also concerned about livelihoods as people in this 225 sq km area depend on farming and venturing into their fields with live shells and other unexploded ordinance is very risky,” says Arjimand Hussain Talib, ActionAid’s project manager in Kashmir.

Source: SciDev