It is a fire risk, lacks sanitation facility and was built without people's involvement. This top down approach must be stopped. On enquiries, it was clear that many international agencies were in Gujarat with a very short-term agenda. The short-term interventions that most of these agencies make don't keep field level realities. Barring a few specialist medical agencies, whose role is more important in the immediate rescue and relief phase, the situation calls for a long-term commitment by international agencies.
Many villages have yet to receive relief.
In such situation, long-term commitment is necessary. Oxfam India feels that such agencies need to rethink and redefine their operational mandate to suite the local level realities. While we understand and caution the limited role of external aid agencies, we welcome a synergy between local community-based organisations and International agencies. Hundreds of thousands of cattle and other animals were hurt by the falling debris. After the earthquake animals were running helter-skelter in pain, dropping dead in odd places.