The United Nations warned on Wednesday that serious outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir had given prominence to the need to scale up efforts to provide safe water supply and sanitation in the self-settled camps.

Several hundred cases of acute diarrhea have been recorded among earthquake survivors in makeshift tent camps in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmiri capital of Muzaffarabad and other devastated earthquake locations.

There has been no immediate evidence of a cholera outbreak, according to Dr Khalif Bile Mohamud, the World Health Organization representative in Pakistan. But he said, "although the laboratory diagnosis is not yet confirmed, these cases of acute watery diarrhoea should be taken extremely seriously. Prompt treatment by rehydration is essential, and we continue to monitor the situation."

Diarrhoeal diseases are caused by bacteria getting into the potable water supply system, much of which has been damaged or destroyed in the earthquake zone. With the establishment of self-settled camps by homeless communities, people are living in crowded conditions, with an unsafe water supply and poor sanitation facilities. With insufficient latrines being dug, there is no provision for those affected by acute watery diarrhoea to use separate latrines. This results in further contamination of the drinking water supply.

UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Jan Vandemoortele stressed the need for more resources to help the Pakistani government, especially the ministry of health and the federal relief commission.

"We once more appeal for the required funding and resources to be made available now, so that we can support the government of Pakistan in repairing the water supply, setting up adequate sanitation facilities and providing emergency healthcare to those affected," he said.

Vandemoortele also noted the importance of basic hygiene education for those living in the camps, to help reduce the threat of diarrhoeal disease.

He said that UN agencies and other humanitarian actors were working closely with the federal relief commission and the Pakistani military to train teams to visit all self-settled camps and assist with water, sanitation and hygiene education.

(Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2005)