Although other agencies are planning to undertake mass construction and reconstruction work, this may take years to fully achieve. There are also significant shelter needs in the medium-term. To address these needs, Oxfam intends to maintain a stock of high quality tents that will be distributed to households or communities on the basis of need and this is expected to continue until July. Long term response Oxfam has decided to follow the initial food and non-food distribution with measures for rebuilding livelihoods through local partners. These will be flexible and appropriate to take into account the diversity of coping strategies, skills, income and employment opportunities across the three districts.
Water is very scarce in the region and the water table is extremely low.
Drinking water to many villages is often tankered in by Government authorities. In the aftermath of the earthquake, security of this water supply has been threatened and water is scarce. Oxfam proposes to assist communities with the construction of 50 water harvesting systems through provision of food and cash for work. Oxfam additionally proposes to assist 5,000 small and marginal farmers with the construction of drainage and irrigation ditches around their plots of land, without which these farmers will not be able to plant this season. Oxfam will receive one quarter of the final total.