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UN agency says debris could pose serious health risks
World donors pledge $6b for Pak quake victims
11/21/2005
ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (Reuters): Quake-stricken Pakistan heaved a sigh of relief on Sunday after world donors pledged almost $6.00 billion, and vowed in return to account for every cent as it distributes the aid to survivors of last month's huge tremor.
Pakistan, seen as one of the most corrupt nations in a recent global survey, secured over $3.00 billion in fresh pledges at a donor conference on Saturday, taking the total to $5.83 billion, after the United Nations complained of a weak initial response."It will help change the lives of millions of people stricken by the tragedy," the News newspaper said in an editorial on Sunday, having headlined its front-page story: "Finally, world conscience shaken and stirred. Hope wins the day."
The October 8 quake killed more than 73,000, mostly in the remote Himalayan region of Pakistani Kashmir and in North West Frontier Province, and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
Fears had grown of a second calamity as winter closes in, threatening people living high in the mountains without proper shelter.
Another reports adds, Debris and waste left uncleared since last month's massive earthquake in Pakistan could become toxic and pose serious health dangers, a U.N. agency warned Sunday. The warning came a day after donors pledged US$3.4 billion (euro2.9 billion) in new aid for Pakistan to rebuild villages and cities in its northwest and its portion of Kashmir, where the Oct. 8 quake left an estimated 86,000 people dead.
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