Tsunami victims at risk
2007-04-06 11:10
Gizo, Solomon Islands - Disease could kill more victims of the Solomon Islands tsunami than the initial disaster unless more supplies are rushed to devastated areas, aid workers warned Friday.
Facing a shortage of clean water and outbreaks of diarrhoea in the makeshift camps sheltering thousands of displaced survivors, relief teams were in a race against the clock to prevent a difficult situation from getting worse.
"The issue now is getting drinking water into the camps and setting up latrines," said aid worker Martin Thomas of World Vision in Gizo, one of the areas worst hit by the tragedy.
"It's the tropics. There's a shortage of fresh water and sanitary conditions are not good," Thomas told AFP. "In these conditions diarrhoea can be fatal, particularly in children."
The government acknowledged the difficulties, saying in a statement: "The latest report revealed that access to clean drinking water and general sanitation on Gizo Island is very poor."
Drinking water affected
At least 34 people were killed and 5 500 people displaced after an 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck the western Solomon Islands on Monday, triggering a tsunami that smashed into coastal villages and towns.
Waves up to five metres high also knocked out water tanks and contaminated wells with sea water, resulting in an acute shortage of clean water - and meaning even more people could die in the coming days.
"Simple hygiene can save lives. If disease takes hold the death toll could be greater than the tsunami itself," Thomas said.
The death toll could also rise as aid workers painstakingly make their way to remote areas cut off since the disaster.
"We're finding a lot of fresh graves when we go into the outlying communities," he said.
As many as 50 000 people - half the population of the country's Western and Choiseul provinces - may have been affected by the disaster, according to the United Nations.
Amid continuing aftershocks, residents afraid to return to those homes still standing in low lying areas remain in makeshift camps on higher ground. Around 2 000 people are in camps on the hills behind Gizo.
Loads of aid from New Zealand, Australia and the French territory of New Caledonia have arrived in the country.