ISLAMABAD, Oct 19: As the winter is about to set in, a plan to protect internally displaced persons (DPs) from troubled districts against tough climatic conditions is on the drawing board of Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

“We’re discussing with International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) modalities of a winter plan for people displaced from Bajaur and Swat due to man-made disaster,” said PRCS Secretary-General Mohammad Ilyas Khan on his return to Islamabad from Lower Dir on Sunday.

The society has set up three tent villages for the DPs, one at Government Degree College in Timergara, second in Khunji village of Lower Dir district and Risalpur district.

Mr Ilyas said the PRCS had been catering to the basic needs, especially food and shelter, of the DPs at these camps.

He said the PRCS had so far provided relief and health cover to 43,163 persons in the areas facing security crisis. He said besides providing shelter to the victims, the society had also provided each displaced family with food, blankets, hygiene kits, one jerry can, stoves and mosquito nets. He said the ICRC had given the society adequate support and cooperation.

The PRCS secretary-general said besides providing relief to the DPs, the society’s doctors and paramedics having necessary medicines had been deployed in the troubled regions to provide medical assistance on a daily basis to the victims. He said so far over 15,000 people including men, women and children had been treated in these camps. He said mostly, the DPs complained of diarrhea, respiratory tract infections and skin diseases.

He said the PRCS and the ICRC engineers were also laying water and sanitation pipelines, adding that the engineers had so far established 200 toilets (100 at Timergara camp, 60 at Khungi camp and 40 at Risalpur camp).