Monsoon threatens to add to misery for Pakistan’s homeless families

Some of the 270,000 families who have fled their homes in the conflict between the Taliban and Pakistani army may have to move again as the looming monsoon season brings with it the threat of floods and disease, UN officials said yesterday.

Two million people left their homes in north west Pakistan in late April when the army launched an offensive to oust Taliban rebels from the Swat valley and surrounding areas. These people have so far been suffering in the intense heat of government-run camps or overcrowded relatives’ homes, but now heavy rains threaten to bring fresh misery.

Many of the camps in the north west are in districts prone to flooding, Martin Mogwanja, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Pakistan, told a press conference in Islamabad. "There may have to be some camps or parts of camps that have to be moved. Some are in low-lying areas," he said.

Pakistan's monsoon season, which starts now and runs until September, could raise the number of cases of diarrhoea among the people left homeless.

Eric Laroche, of the World Health Organization (WHO), warned that health funding for these people was falling short. International donors had only raised $2m of the $10m needed for essential medicines. "The response has been very low... the needs are still very dire," he said. According to hospital figures, 178 civilians were killed and 2,200 others wounded in the conflict zone during military operations.

The United Nations is working on plans to deal with the possibility of the quick spread of disease and disruptions to the distribution of supplies as a result of the rains.

One threat is that if water supplies are contaminated, diarrhoea - already the biggest health problem in the camps - could become even more severe, Mr Laroche told Reuters news agency. “It may lead to a lot of epidemics, and that is a major concern for us,".

The army says it is near the end of its offensive in Swat and utilities and communications are being restored. The government is expected to announce the beginning of a phased return in coming days.

Helping people go home will increase the bill for the relief effort, Mogwanja said.