26/12/2005

Purpose of Assessment

• General road conditions - Muzaffarabad to Jura
• Full assessment of road Leswa bypass - Jura -  Atmuquam - Kel
• GPS coordinates of all bridges
• Existing Warehousing
• Potential sites/needs for warehousing
  

Itinerary
Day 1: MZB - Dhanni - Jura - Kuttan

Day 2: Kuttan - Atmuquam - Kel - Kuttan

Day 3: Kuttan - Jura - Leswa bypass - MZB

General Comments
Quake damage was at its most intense from Muzaffarabad to Nauseri and fades to little or no visible damage by Jura.

A large HLZ is located at Atmuquam alongside a 180 MT warehouse ¾ full of wheat flour.

Given requests for warehousing and food support in the Upper Neelum, thorough food assessments are required for this area

Road Conditions

• The road from Sharda to Kel is generally closed by snow over the winter, starting in mid to late January. Sufficient plant and manpower has been positioned at Kel to keep this section of road open given average seasonal weather. However, if the extreme snow of last year (last week in January until the end of February) is repeated this would prove impossible.
• The road on from Kel is closed.
  

In general, the road is passable from Muzaffarabad to Kel. The major hazards are landslides, undermined bridges and sections of road formed only on loose fill.

It is strongly recommended that the 2.5 MT limit (recommended by PAK MIL engineers) is adhered too.

Lower Neelum Valley

• 11 bulldozers/front end loaders positioned along the Lower Neelum
  

MZB to Chilehana

• No change from UNDSS assessment 4/12/05
• The need for continuous road clearing causing some bottlenecks in the areas of Ghori, Patika and Devolian.
• Approx travelling time - 3.5 hours
  

Chilehana to Kuttan

• Little sign of quake induced damage
• Road is a mixture of tarmac and dirt
• Approx travelling time - 1.25 hours
  

Kuttan to Atmuqam

• No sign of quake induced damage
• Approx travelling time - 55 minutes
  

Upper Neelum Valley
Atmuquam to Kel

• The road varies from solid tarmac to rutted water and snow affected stretches.
• Snow on road from 5 km out of Kel
• Approx travelling time - 3.5 hours
  

Leswa Bypass

• Entering the Leswa Bypass from the eastern end (approx 2 km south of Jura) it was only possible to travel 14 km before being stopped by heavy ice on the road. Up until that point the road was only passable by 1 MT 4WD vehicles - limited freight possibilities. Locals reported that the road was closed by landslides a further 15 km on.
• Time restrictions prevented an assessment from the western end.
  

Other
Fuel availability
Diesel is available at Atmuquam and Kundal Shahi. It was not possible to obtain storage capacities at either site. Anecdotally supplies have been limited. It is recommended to be self sufficient in fuel when travelling this road.

Communications
Satellite phone and GPS coverage was available for the full length of the trip although the signal was variable.

Mobile coverage finished 12 km out of Muzaffarabad

Internet coverage finished on the outskirts of town

Accommodation is available at Kuttan for 600 Rupees/night for a self contained unit.
Contact -  Shafiq 0300 509 9862

Lead Agency - UNJLC
Point of contact - Natascha Hryckow, email: mawnshss@gmail.com
Team: Natascha Hryckow UNJLC, Karin Sutherland UNJLC, Fernando Tabarez UNDSS, Ali UNDSS (driver).