Afghan refugees dying of cold

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JAN. 31. Presenting an extremely distressing condition of the displaced Afghans, the Office of the United Nations Co- ordination for Afghanistan has said that over 110 displaced persons living in camps in western Afghanistan had died of extreme cold on the night of January 29 alone.

According to estimates by the U.N. office, severe drought has put at risk the lives of over three lakh people in the region. The U.N. body has said that the area of distress is now enlarging and reports are being received of displaced persons moving to other areas of Afghanistan in search of assistance. In a press statement here describing the plight of the displaced Afghanistan, the U.N. said due to a cold wave, temperatures in Herat, the western provincial capital, fell to minus 25 degree Centigrade during the night. By mid-morning, the temperature had risen to only minus 16.

``With vehicle engines frozen, movement of aid workers to the camps has been impeded. It is believed that the main victims of the extreme temperatures were children, the elderly and women'' it said.

According to the U.N., currently there are around 80,000 displaced persons in six camps outside Herat, of which of five are already full. It said due to severe drought, families in western Afghanistan had started leaving their houses.

The drought has resulted in crop losses averaging 75 per cent and 50 per cent reduction in livestock. By early October, 2000 families had arrived in the city. Since mid- December, displaced persons have been arriving in the city at the rate of 300 to 500 each day.

The U.N. body has said that due to insufficient response to funding requests, conditions in the camps are poor. The shelter shortfall is so severe that there are still some 5,000 families sharing 1,700 one-family tents. There are critical shortfalls of all non-food items, including blankets, tents, quilts and other supplies.

``Lack of proper shelter, blankets and fuel can be assumed to have contributed to the high death rate in the camps'', the statement said.

It said since summer 2000, over five lakh Afghans have left their homes and most of these families are displaced inside Afghanistan. ``It is now feared that displacement will continue into various areas of the country, and across international borders, for at least the next several months, increasing the total numbers of displaced and resulting in yet more requirements for both food and non-food items'', the statement said.

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Section  : International
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