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.