Major survey of displaced people

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will soon begin a massive campaign to re-register up to 350,000 displaced people in camps near the western Afghan city of Herat, officials told IRIN on Wednesday.

Expected to last up to nine days, the operation, which will involve nearly a thousand staff, will better determine humanitarian needs at the five displacement camps around the city, particularly Maslakh, the largest of the group.

"The reason for this registration is to make sure the aid goes to those most in need," IOM spokesman, Jean Philippe Chauzy told IRIN from Geneva. With camp population estimates varying from over 320,000 to around 150,000 or so, the only indicator available remains a quick count of tents and shelters at the camps - completed by IOM in December last year, he explained.

As the coordinating agency for humanitarian aid to displaced people in western Afghanistan, IOM has become increasingly concerned with the logistical problems associated with managing and providing services to Maslakh, already one of the largest refugee camps in the world.

According to Chauzy, up until now aid agencies have only been able to estimate the number of internally displaced people (IDP) in Maslakh. During the Taliban regime, abuse of the camp registration system resulted in multiple registrations, as well as the registration of some non-IDPs, putting the official camp population at 324,000.

Assuming on average that six people were living in one tent or shelter, and there were 23,500 in Maslakh, the actual number of people in the camp would stand at 140,000, less than half the official figure. As a consequence, aid agencies including IOM, WFP and UNICEF may be delivering food, blankets, clothing, stoves and other items to Maslakh's desperately poor population on the basis of what could prove an inflated figure.

"Having an accurate number of IDPs allows for better and more efficient and fair distribution of aid and avoids aid becoming a magnet for impoverished villagers in the region," Chauzy said.

Asked if people had stopped coming, he maintained there was still a steady stream of arrivals. Given the destitute condition of new arrivals, IOM has established four registration checkpoints around Herat to make sure the newly arrived are properly registered and receive assistance as quickly as possible.

Between 19 and 24 January, 1,679 new arrivals were registered, mainly from the western drought-stricken provinces of Ghor and Badghis. As for their motivation: "One can assume that they know relief is available in Herat," Chauzy maintained.

It is this attraction to the camps that is proving particularly problematic for aid workers on the ground. "While these people are the poorest of the poor, I am concerned that the camp may be attracting people in neighbouring villages where conditions are worse," IOM official, Chris Lom told IRIN from Herat. "What the agencies must do is get the aid to the places of origin, particularly the rural areas where most of these people come from - otherwise the camp will grow further," he warned.

Regarding conditions on the ground, Lom said: "Though there isn't evident malnutrition or people with inadequate clothes, a family of six living in a tent when temperatures outside are subzero isn't good," adding, however, "In the context of living conditions in Afghanistan, the situation in Maslakh is marginally better, particularly when compared to rural areas."

The influx of aid has dramatically improved living conditions in the camp, despite its bleak setting in the desert some 20 km west of Herat on the road to the Iranian border. Massive distribution of food and non-food items, including tents, blankets, winter clothing, and stoves, together with medical services provided by NGOs, have given the IDPs the resources they need to survive Herat's freezing winter nights.

Following the completion of the operation, Maslakh will be closed to new arrivals and newcomers will be directed to a new camp - Mir Daud - some 20 km from the city on the road to the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar in the south. The other four IDP camps in Herat, housing some 35,000 people, are already closed to new arrivals. While no formal starting date has been given for the registration operation, it is expected to begin in approximately two weeks.