MUZAFFARABAD, Nov 15: The United Nations Fund for Children has launched a campaign for promoting health and hygiene in the squalid tent villages of survivors of last month’s earthquake and the International Organization for Migration has distributed building material in Neelum valley.
“Lack of awareness about hygiene practices is exposing the quake survivors to different infectious diseases more than the lack of sanitation facilities in some makeshift dwellings,” Unicef Water and Sanitation Coordinator Aida Moughawech told Dawn.
She said that since most of the settlements were crowded, unorganized and congested, it was becoming difficult for her organization to provide sanitation facilities in such locations.
“Lack of enough sanitation leads to diseases. But there is greater risk of contracting different diseases if the survivors do not ensure personal hygiene,” she said.
Unicef, she said, was prioritizing its relief operations regarding sanitation and hygiene.
“Our priority now is to provide a minimum of 20 litres of safe water per person per day. The second thing is to provide proper latrines based on sphere standards,” she said.
“But even if we provide enough water and latrines, still we have to ensure health and hygiene promotion because only by that we can contain the outbreak of different infectious diseases,” she said.
She said Unicef was taking it as a priority to launch training on health and hygiene promotion in every camp with the help of sector partners. The campaign would be kicked off in a day or so, she said.
However, Ms Moughawech raised alarm over growing shortfall in donations for the survivors.
Unicef has already launched a two-week campaign with the help of the health ministry to immunize 800,000 children in quake-hit areas.
