NEW DELHI, June 16 (AlertNet) Â? Aid workers in Pakistan responding to the world's biggest and fastest growing human displacement in over a decade are struggling to provide satisfactory standards of relief, Oxfam International said.
Around 2.5 million people have fled their homes since late April when the Pakistani military launched an offensive to expel Taliban militants in the northwest Swat valley.
While the vast majority of civilians have sought shelter within host communities, there are between 150,000 and 250,000 people living in about 20 camps where aid workers are providing
them with water and sanitation, food, shelter, and healthcare.
But according to a report by Oxfam, some forms of assistance such as the provision of food and shelter in the camps have "not been sufficiently appropriate" and a lack of clean water and
sanitation facilities is contributing to "hazardous hygiene conditions" in several locations.
Those living outside the camps -- which make up about 85 percent of the total displaced population -- do not have an official relief package and face difficulties in reaching
registration and distributions centres, the report adds.
"In general, humanitarian conditions remain challenging and precarious," said the report titled "Too little, too slow: why
more must be done to assist PakistanÂ?s displaced millions."
"Although general improvements in coordination and the provision of assistance have taken place as aid actors scaled up their operations, significant delays in reaching those in need
and caps in coverage persist and need to be addressed."
INAPPROPRIATE RELIEF
The report cites examples where food relief was given to in the form of wheat which was problematic as it had to be ground into flour before it could be cooked and eaten.
"Some IDPs have reportedly had to sell the wheat at low prices to millers in order to buy flour to make bread," the report said.
It also said the tents provided were not satisfactory because they were not designed to deal with soaring temperatures of 40
degrees Celsius and were leading to many people suffering heat stroke and dehydration.
Women are particularly disadvantaged by the lack of privacy, having to share communal washing and toilet facilities whole the provision of safe play areas and resumption of education for
children remains a serious challenge.
Displaced people living with host communities do not have an official structured relief package and many cannot get to the registration and distribution centres due to a lack of
information, long distances to these centres and the high costs of transportation, Oxfam said.
Also, while coordination levels have been functioning at federal and provincial levels, the report states that district level coordination has been weak with problems in sharing
information raising risks of gaps and duplication.
Aid agencies, including Oxfam, have been overwhelmed by the speed and scale of the crisis and are now facing a severe lack of funds with only 25 percent of a $543 million appeal currently funded.
They say their lack of resources are impacting their ability to respond effectively to the crisis and are calling on international donors to come forward and help.
"A lack of funding overall, and delays in disbursing funds to individual aid agencies, has undermined the relief response so far, contributing to gaps and delays in the adequate
provision of assistance such as water and sanitation, shelter and healthcare," the report said.
"Much more needs to be done, especially by the international community, to meet immediate needs and support a strong recovery that lays the foundations for sustainable peace and stability."
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