|
The humanitarian situation throughout Iraq is characterized by a lack of power and fuel supply, severely reducing the availability of potable water in many cities of the country, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in Geneva on Tuesday.
It said the situation in Baghdad is near critical, with little movement on the streets, and water supply in the capital city is critical.
The OCHA said there is insufficient potable water and fuel in Umm Qasr, and emergency services are no longer provided by the UmmQasr hospital.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), hospitals in Baghdad are managing under pressure. An influx of injured people at Al-Yarmouk hospital in Baghdad reached 100 per hour.
The Mahmoudiya hospital, south of Baghdad, is no longer capable of dealing with war wounded. The destruction of a bridge south of Baghdad means that the ICRC cannot reach Karbala, Nassriya, Najaf and Hillah.
There is still no refugee outflow in Iraq, said the OCHA. An additional 40,000 people are reported to have fled Baghdad in recent days.
(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2003)
|
