Waves of IDPs arrive in Herat

The arrival of over 200 more families of IDPs in Herat between 19 and 26 August brought the number in the western city to about 1,200 families, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan reported on Wednesday. These arrivals, bringing to almost 8,500 people the number of new IDPs, were in addition to some 760 families displaced by conflict two years previously, the Office of the Coordinator said. The UN has emphasised that local authorities have the prime responsibility for the care of the IDPs, but has agreed to conduct a joint registration of the displaced. Sanitary conditions in the IDP camps are reported to be very poor, while the nutritional status of the people was a cause for concern and morbidity was rising, according to humanitarians sources. Meanwhile, the UN was continuing to try to reach drought-affected people in their areas of origin and food distribution has begun in Ghor province - neighbouring Herat, the weekly update from the Office of the Coordinator stated.