Open defecation, lack of toilets and poor sanitation in makeshift internally displaced persons (IDP) camps throughout Afghanistan are a health threat, particularly to children, say health workers and aid agencies. At least 230,000 people are living in formal IDP camps and informal settlements.

About 500 families (2,500 individuals) living in a camp in Qambar on the western outskirts of Kabul are forced to defecate in the open or use insecure pit latrines or dry vault toilets. Anne Garella, head of the Action contre la Faim (ACF) country mission, said they had applied to build toilets and water points for the Qambar IDPs but had failed to get permission from the government. In January 2009 the government permitted ACF to provide drinking water by tankers to the Qambar IDPs for six months. As the number of IDPs in the camp continues to increase, ACF is concerned about the camp’s access to drinking water after June 2009. Nevertheless, aid workers expect that the government will extend Qambar’s water delivery deadline beyond that date.

Related news: Afghanistan: IOM helps provide clean water and sanitation for returnee communities, Source South Asia, 11 Nov 2008

Web site : ACF – Afghanistan (in French)

Contact: Anne Garella, Action contre la Faim (ACF), Afghanistan, dhom@af.missions-acf.org, Skype : annitaka

Source: IRIN, 23 Apr 2009

Tags: emergencies, on-site sanitation, south asia, water supply