ISLAMABAD, Oct 28: The World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday said the Oct 8 earthquake was much graver than reported earlier as, according to an assessment it carried out in collaboration with Unicef and Oxfam, some 2.3 million victims would require food to survive through the winter as compared to the earlier estimate of 1 million.

The WFP had based on its previous assessment of having to feed 1 million people when it had appealed for $56 million. This appeal has now been revised accordingly to feed the victims for up to six months.

The victims, the assessment report said, were already very poor and the quake had made them poorer and more vulnerable as they lost all they had —- their homes and livelihood. These people are now desperate and have to be reached in the next three weeks before the onset of winter.

The WFP fears that the situation can aggravate because of the poor donor response. It had earlier warned that a window of hope for survivors was slamming shut.

Six out of the nine districts affected by the earthquake were already in the ‘most food insecure’ parts of Pakistan, where people depend on subsistence farming, livestock and wage labour during the lean season.

According to the finding, more than half of rural households surveyed lost all or most of their grain stocks and one fourth of the livestock was killed.

The local economy has collapsed. Even if the survivors had money to buy food, supplies are extremely limited. Large numbers of children were found to be suffering from diarrhoea or respiratory illnesses, suggesting that a rapid increase in cases of acute malnutrition could be imminent.

About 20 per cent of mothers with children under two years old have stopped breastfeeding, either because of illness or inadequate breast milk.

According to the survey, priority should be given to the estimated 200,000 people living in the most-difficult-to-reach areas in Neelum, Jhelum, Kaghan and Naran valleys as well as upper parts of Alai which will soon be cut off by snow for months.

It noted that less than 10 per cent of the affected population had left their communities for safe areas, the majority preferring to stay close to their lands and livestock. While large numbers of people are expected to move into camps as winter sets in, this is seen as a last resort. Many people are coming down from the mountains only to go back up empty handed.

Markets have not recovered in three of the hardest-hit areas, with trading coming to a virtual halt. And where markets are functioning, prices have soared. In addition, banks are closed, restricting cash and credit flow. The assessment mission recommended assistance to urban areas for the next two months and in rural areas until the end of February.

Our Muzaffarabad correspondent adds: The assessment comprised secondary data and market analyses, more than 40 key interviews and a survey covering 700 households in more than 200 locations.

The report said that more than 50,000 had died and around 80,000 were injured and nearly 2.5 million people had lost their houses, majority of which now lived in tents and makeshift shelters.

The earthquake-affected nine districts in the NWFP and AJK were Battagram, Mansehra, Shangla, Muzaffarabad, Neelum, Abbottabad, Poonch, Kohistan and Bagh. But the worst-affected districts were Muzaffarabad, epicentre of the quake, Mansehra and parts of Bagh, where more than 70 per cent of houses had been destroyed.

The household survey indicated that food consumption in urban and semi-urban areas remained significantly better than in rural areas.

Among children from 3 to 5 years old, almost half had changed their feeding practices in terms of reduction in quantity (frequency and amount) and quality (types) of food. Main reasons for the changes were cited as shortage of food (55 per cent), fear and shock leading to loss of appetite (11 per cent) and sickness (11 per cent).

The report suggested a more in-depth assessment in November-December to review the situation.