09 June,2009 09:26 AM IST | | Agencies
The United Nations has announced opening of three new camps in Pakistan to house internally displaced persons as families continue to flee the country's troubled North West Frontier Province, where the army is battling the Taliban militants.
But the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the lack of international funding is hampering the world body's ability to assist the displaced.
It said the newly-arrived displaced persons came from Lower Dir, Swat and Buner, in NWFP. OCHA said the Pakistani authorities have estimated that the number of persons displaced by the conflict exceeds 2.5 million, including 550,000 people who fled clashes in the area last year.
u00a0A UN appeal for USD 543 million to support the displaced persons, launched May 22, is only about 25 per cent funded. Because of the shortfall, food supplies are secured only for June while drugs supplies will be depleted by the end of the month.
Funding is also urgently needed to cover health needs for the next six months, according to OCHA, with there being a shortage of hygiene kits and soap in camps for internally displaced persons.
