Displaced in Assam suffer poor conditions
Source: Agencies |
August 7, 2012, Tuesday
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HUNDREDS of thousands of people sheltering in squalid, overcrowded camps in India's northeast desperately need food, water and medicines after fleeing some of the worst communal violence in a decade, officials and aid workers said yesterday.
At least 12 people, including four children, have died and thousands are sick with diseases such as diarrhea and malaria caused by poor conditions in government-run camps in Assam state, where up to 400,000 people have taken refuge.
"We are in a state of high alert," said Assam's Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. "People in the camps are suffering from diarrhea, dysentery, malaria and high fever. We are concerned about the condition of the babies and pregnant women."
Violence between Bodo tribespeople and Muslim settlers from neighboring Bangladesh erupted on July 20 when unidentified men killed four Bodo youths. In retaliation, armed Bodos - which dominate Assam's Kokrajhar district - attacked Muslims, suspecting them of being behind the deaths.
The fighting has tested the ability of India's security forces to restore order in Assam, famed for its tea plantations and home to the constituency of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who visited the state in late July.
So far 61 people have died, while dozens of villages have been razed, forcing both Bodos and Muslims to flee to schools and community centers which have been converted into relief camps.
Sarma said around 8,000 children aged under two are sick, while hundreds others have tested positive for malaria. There are also around 4,000 pregnant women in the camps who need medical support, he added.
At least 12 people, including four children, have died and thousands are sick with diseases such as diarrhea and malaria caused by poor conditions in government-run camps in Assam state, where up to 400,000 people have taken refuge.
"We are in a state of high alert," said Assam's Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. "People in the camps are suffering from diarrhea, dysentery, malaria and high fever. We are concerned about the condition of the babies and pregnant women."
Violence between Bodo tribespeople and Muslim settlers from neighboring Bangladesh erupted on July 20 when unidentified men killed four Bodo youths. In retaliation, armed Bodos - which dominate Assam's Kokrajhar district - attacked Muslims, suspecting them of being behind the deaths.
The fighting has tested the ability of India's security forces to restore order in Assam, famed for its tea plantations and home to the constituency of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who visited the state in late July.
So far 61 people have died, while dozens of villages have been razed, forcing both Bodos and Muslims to flee to schools and community centers which have been converted into relief camps.
Sarma said around 8,000 children aged under two are sick, while hundreds others have tested positive for malaria. There are also around 4,000 pregnant women in the camps who need medical support, he added.
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