Sanitation poor at refugee camps

Sanitation poor at refugee camps

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: Head of the West Kalimantan health
office H.M. Torisz has expressed concern over physical conditions
in a number of refugee camps accommodating people who fled the
Sambas ethnic conflict.

Torisz urged the water company owned by the Pontianak
mayoralty to ensure the provision of adequate water supplies at
the camp compounds as the poor water quality has caused some of
the refugees to suffer from diarrhea.

"This has been worsened by the miserable conditions under
which they are living," Torisz said, as quoted by Antara news
agency on Thursday. He did not give details of the number of
patients catching the disease.

The camps had been hit by a scarcity of water, thereby forcing
housewives to cook, not using tap water or other potable water,
but using rain water they collected during heavy rains, he said.

He said that local health officials had continuously monitored
living conditions at the camps, especially following the
disappearance of water during the current prolonged dry season.

"Without any preventive measures, the number of people
infected with diarrhea is feared to increase," one of the
refugees said.