About 36 villages affected by ash from the Karthala volcano on the main island of Grand Comore began receiving water on Thursday, a senior UN official told IRIN. "About 90 percent of the cisterns in the villages contain water that is undrinkable now," said Aloys Kamuragiye, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative in Comoros. At least 38,000 people have been affected by the contamination of the water tanks. UNICEF, which has five water tanks each capable of holding 10,000 litres, has begun supplying the villagers, many of whom had returned to their homes by Wednesday. An estimated 10,000 people fled their homes in the eastern part of Grand Comore after Karthala began spewing ash and smoke at the weekend. The volcano, which rises 2,440m above sea level, has shown signs of increased activity for the past week. It is known to erupt about every 11 years, with the last eruption in 1991. According to the latest report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), returning villagers have found their homes intact, and the main area of concern was the quality of potable water. Kamuragiye said water samples had been sent to Madagascar, which has facilities for both bacteriological and chemical analysis. "In the meantime, we have to provide drinking water to the people. Our five water tanks are not enough, so we have hired five private trucks as well for the operation. It is not going to be an easy task, as the water will have to be transported from the capital, Moroni, on the western part of the island, to the eastern side," he added. A team of specialists who flew over the crater of the volcano on Tuesday reported that the lava was in the process of cooling down, according to the OCHA report. Seismographic data collected by the Comoran National Documentation and Scientific Research Centre (CNDRS) has shown a reduction in seismic activity. Life is assuming greater normality as the people slowly return to their homes. OCHA said medical services were expected to become fully operational by the end of this week as health workers returned with the rest of the population. Children not suffering from specific problems were also likely to return to schools, which will reopen as soon as all the teachers return. However, the authorities remained on alert, OCHA said, as the CNDRS and French specialists "have warned that the reduction of the activity of the volcano does not mean that the eruption is over, and that the situation may change rapidly."
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