ISLAMABAD, Nov 21: Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan on Monday called upon the AJK and NWFP governments to ensure safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and immunisation coverage in the relief camps, saying his ministry will provide necessary support for the purpose.

He stated this while attending a presentation made by a task force on sanitation and safe drinking water in the camps of Jalalabad, Narol and the old university campus.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the disaster management committee was informed that there were 380 to 400 tents in each camp with approximately 2,000 to 2,500 population. The camps are overcrowded and the distance between the tents is inadequate and there is no camp management. Also there is insufficient water supply in the camps.

The task force in its report has stressed the need to urgently undertake drastic measures to improve the overall availability of water, sanitation, personal and environmental hygiene and sustained immunisation in the camps.

In this regard, the task force will conduct consultative workshops in Muzaffarabad and Mansehra in the next two to three days.

It will also involve the local government in the process through the formation of local task force similar to the one at the federal level to ensure that the needs of the camps were met according to the basic criteria and standards, and were sustainable.