Backgrounder

Operation PLATEAU: The DART deployment in Pakistan

BG–05.034 - December 5, 2005

Summary

On October 8, 2005, an earthquake that registered 7.6 on the Richter scale struck Pakistan and India. Its epicentre was near Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, about 95 km northeast of Islamabad. Consistent with its pattern of participating in international disaster relief efforts, and providing humanitarian aid, Canada made a commitment to help Pakistan withstand the aftermath of the earthquake through both the initial disaster-relief stage and the recovery and reconstruction period that follows.

On October 11, acting on a request from the Government of Pakistan, Canada despatched nine experts from Foreign Affairs Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency and the Canadian Forces (CF) to the earthquake zone to identify the best contribution Canada could make to the relief and recovery efforts in co-operation with the Pakistani authorities and international aid agencies. On October 14, having accepted the experts' recommendations, Prime Minister Paul Martin announced that the CF Disaster Assistance Relief Team (DART) would go to Pakistan. This deployment was named Operation PLATEAU .

During Operation PLATEAU , the DART:

• distributed 500 tonnes of humanitarian aid supplies;

• purified and distributed 3,811,535 litres of drinking water; and

• provided medical treatment to 11,782 people, including:

  • 7,000 who received care from mobile medical teams airlifted by helicopter to their isolated communities;

  • 2,637 who received care at the DART clinic in Gahri Dupatta, and

  • 2,145 who were immunized against a variety of contagious diseases.

Operation PLATEAU was an unqualified success; DART members provided effective assistance while aid organizations moved into the disaster area and established their capabilities. Between November 27 and December 1, 2005, the DART handed over its water points and medical facilities to OXFAM, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent Society of Pakistan. Its mission completed, the DART officially ceased all operations on December 4. The first flight of DART personnel arrived in Canada on December 3, the final flight of DART personnel is scheduled to land on December 9, 2005. A small group will remain behind to oversee the return of DART equipment to Canada; they are expected to return by December 20, 2005.

DART operations in Pakistan

The DART area of operations was the Muzaffarabad region in the Jhelum Valley. The main camp was in Gahri Dupatta, 15 km southeast of Muzaffarabad. On October 23, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Voith announced that the DART had reached operational status; his engineering platoon had begun producing safe drinking water, and his medical personnel were treating patients.

Water points

Water-distribution systems are fragile, and lack of safe drinking water is one of the most serious public health problems after a major disaster. The DART took four reverse osmosis water purification units (ROWPUs) to Pakistan. Holding one ROWPU in reserve, the DART engineering platoon set up three water points: one at the main DART camp in Gahri Dupatta, one in Hattian Bala, and one in Muzaffarabad. DART personnel at each water point used a ROWPU to purify water from a local source, and produced enough safe drinking water for storage against future needs as well as for immediate distribution to local residents.

For detailed information about the ROWPU and its capabilities, visit the Equipment section of the Army website: ROWPU

Medical operations

Based at the static clinic in Gahri Dupatta, the 50-strong DART medical platoon included six physicians, two physician assistants, five registered nurses and 30 medical technicians — enough primary health-care professionals to form mobile medical teams as well as staff the clinic, which also offered the services of two preventive medicine technicians, a pharmacist, a laboratory technician and an x-ray technician.

Built of large CF modular tentage, the DART clinic was fully winterized and stocked with $300,00 worth of cots, stretchers, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment before it was handed over to the Pakistani Red Crescent Society, which will operate it for the foreseeable future as a regional health-care centre for the Jhelum Valley.

The Muzaffarabad region is very mountainous, and the earthquake wrecked most of its public infrastructure, including roads. To ensure that DART services reached the hardest-hit areas of the Jhelum Valley, a Kamov KA-32A medium-lift helicopter was leased from a Canadian company, and used to take the mobile medical teams and humanitarian aid supplies to communities without road access, and to bring severely injured and sick patients to the DART camp at Gahri Dupatta for treatment at the clinic.

Deployment Chronology

• October 12: At 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario, the DART reconnaissance team left for Pakistan, and the first AN-225 cargo aircraft arrived to start loading DART equipment.

• October 14: Prime Minister Martin announced Operation PLATEAU , and the DART reconnaissance team arrived in Islamabad.

• October 16: The DART advance party arrived in Islamabad.

• October 17: The first of five AN–225 cargo flights arrived in Islamabad.

• October 18: The first flight transporting DART personnel arrived in Islamabad.

• October 21: The second flight transporting DART personnel arrived in Islamabad.

• October 23: LCol Voith declared the DART operationally ready.

• November 24: The ROWPU in Muzaffarabad ceased operations with the resumption of municipal services there.

• November 25: The ROWPU in Hattian Bala ceased operations and the International Committee of the Red Cross took over the water point.

• November 26: The DART clinic in Gahri Dopatta was handed over to the Pakistani Red Crescent Society.

• November 28: ROWPU operations ceased in Gahri Dupatta with the completion of repairs to the local water pump by DART engineers; OXFAM took over the water point.

• December 1: Last home visits by mobile medical teams.

• December 3: First flight of DART personnel returned to Canada.

• December 4: Second flight of DART personnel returned to Canada.

• December 5: Last helicopter flights to deliver humanitarian aid supplies.

• December 9: Third and final flight of DART personnel returned to Canada.

For more information about CF relief operations …

The Canadian government has consistently demonstrated strong support for humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief operations throughout the world. Nationally and internationally, the CF has deployed to disaster-stricken regions to conduct humanitarian relief operations. International missions include:

• Support to the United States relief effort following Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, known as Operation UNISON 2005 ,

• The DART deployment to Sri Lanka in January of 2005, known as Operation STRUCTURE,

• The DART deployment to Turkey in August of 1999, known as Operation TORRENT , and

• The DART deployment to Honduras in November of 1998, known as OPERATION CENTRAL.

For more information on the Government of Canada response to the South Asia earthquake visit this site .

For detailed information on the DART, visit http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/operations/DART/index_e.asp

–30–