In Yobe, 1, 296 IDPs risk cholera outbreak
News & Trends •
the tanker brings water once a day it is not enough for the population here1 there are indications that the 1 296 internally displaced persons idps in pompomari camp damaturu may face cholera outbreak and other water-borne diseases due to absence of water and sanitation facilities1 nan correspondent on a delegation of the water sanitation and hygiene wash in emergency working group further reports that inmates of the camp said the coming rains would compound the problems as their makeshift homes are in tatters1 one of the displaced persons adamu rabiu told nan about the poor hygiene practices in the camp and said it was a huge problem to the inhabitants1 he alleged that the state emergency management agency sema had neglected provision of adequate water for them1 he said that the single solar-powered borehole in the camp was grossly inadequate for their population of over 13001 he expressed concerns over how sanitation officers in charge of maintaining hygiene in their toilets had failed to apply disinfectants and air fresheners to reduce offensive smell polluting the premises1 rabiu said that the development could become harmful to the population of the idps and called for immediate deployment of more sanitation workers to help rescue the situation1 as you can see for yourself the environment is not conducive at all1 we want the authorities in charge to help us maintain this camp by bringing in sanitation workers1 we are aware that the red cross helped in cleaning the drains and culverts but now sema is in charge and they are not doing anything1 we need help in areas of food and water. as you can see that the jerry cans and the people here are waiting for water to come the solar powered borehole is not adequate1 according to the inmates they get water once a day while their toilet facilities are not being maintained1 our rooms are torn the rains are coming soon we want government to come to our aid to help repair our makeshift houses1 another idp mohammed danladi said that the clinic was lacking relevant drugs and called for support to equip the clinics with essential drugs1 when contacted the director search and rescue yobe sema alhaji garba bilal explained that the camp initially had 4011 persons1 he said but with the reduction of insurgency a large number of idps had returned leaving 1296 persons1 bilal said that the camp was fully funded by the state government in collaboration with donor agencies1 he said that the collaborative efforts covered provision of basic needs and psycho-social support towards overall goal of reintegrating the idps into the society1 according to him there are other six idp camps in kukareta ngaburawa fuguri muhammad gombes farm albari ybc and kasesa which has the highest population1 mr baba galadima team leader wash in emergency working group expressed joy that the camps had been decongested1 he commended the state government for timely interventions towards providing livelihood support for the idps1 he said that the federal government was intervening in providing the group with facilities in parts of the state to augment the already existing ones1 the group is working to see that humanitarian responses especially in the north east reach their target population1