United Nations: More than six lakhs Swat refugees, displaced due to the Pak military action against the Taliban in the region, have now returned home, the Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
That leaves some 1.6 million people who have not yet
returned from displacement and who will continue to require
humanitarian assistance, UN spokesman Farhan Haq told
reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.
"Also, even as people leave camps for the displaced, an
additional 1,500 families have arrived at IDP camps in Jalozai
and Familo since July 3," he said yesterday.
To assist the people who are returning to their homes,
UNICEF has distributed 8,600 hygiene kits and 270,000 Aqua
tabs, which can benefit approximately 60,000 returning
persons, Haq said. Health agencies have already sent necessary
medicines and supplies to the district of Buners and Swat.
They plan to support 14 public health facilities and
four mobile clinics in Buners, he said.
As of 26 July, 1,167 schools out of a total of 4,739
schools that were occupied by IDPs have been vacated due to
the rapid return of the displaced, Haq said. Schools being
used as shelters must be repaired and equipped with new
furniture and teaching and learning materials, he said.
According to OCHA getting all children back into
learning environments, especially in time for the beginning of
the new academic year, poses a massive challenge for Pak
Government and humanitarian community.
Bureau Report
