Water in Tual contaminated

Water in Tual contaminated

TUAL, Maluku: Water consumed by 25,526 refugees seeking
shelter from violence in their villages has been found to be
contaminated, Antara reported on Tuesday.

The refugees have stayed on the islands in Southeast Maluku
since March.

"Disease-causing bacteria has been found in water consumed by
refugees on Kei Besar and Kei Kecil islands," Karin Hergarden, an
official in charge of the international Medecins Sans Frontieres
project, said on Monday.

Samples of water were taken from 38 locations in refugee sites
by project workers.

Diseases present at the sites include diarrhea, dengue,
malaria, respiratory problems and skin infections.

Studies were conducted in the refugee shelters including those
of Elat in Kei Besar, the Ngadi fish processing plant, the
military command in Kei Kecil, the naval base in Tual and in
Dullah Darat village.

Hergarden said the high level of bacteria was caused by the
way refugees collected water. Many of them had made holes in
water distribution pipes, and some used containers that had
traces of oil or other liquids present.

To date, 10 refugees have died of various diseases.