Rakhine relief camps facing unhygienic water, health risks

Published on Thursday, 27 December 2012 11:45

A refugee family at the camp in Rakhine State (Photo - EMG)

 Relief camps in rural area of Rakhine State are facing the insufficient sanitary water and risky to health problems, UNICEF said.

The most vulnerable ones, including children, are suffering from water-borne diseases like diarrhea because of lacking the hygienic conditions and having limited access to safe water.  

UNICEF urges to improve in quality of drinking water and sanitation system in camps.

The estimated IDPs in Rakhine have reached about 115,000 while 85,000 are sheltered in Sittwe, and the surrounding area. Only 5 per cent of displaced people are happened to be sheltered in urban area.

The remaining 95 per cent are in rural areas, lacking difficult transportation.

Many of displaced people are now living in congested environment space and in poor hygienic situations.

Only 70 per cent in rural camps can use toilets, and that open defecation is still practiced in the State.

According to the surveys on earlier progress, camps do not have enough drinking water.

Most displaced people are poor awareness on personal hygiene.

Camps are encountering the inadequate tanks for water storage.

Collected rainwater and ground water from the manual water pumps are the only water sources for the camps.

Storage of hygiene water at the camps is estimated to be enough up to late January, 2013.

At worst, solution to solve the water scarcity during hot seasons is still unknown.