MACEDONIA: KOSOVO REFUGEE CRISIS: ENVIRONMENT скачать в хорошем качестве

MACEDONIA: KOSOVO REFUGEE CRISIS: ENVIRONMENT

(29 May 1999) English/Nat The high concentration of refugees into the camps of Macedonia is starting to seriously affect local environments. Aid organizations are now looking at ways to improve the situation in an attempt to both help the environment and control potential disease outbreaks. Up to 80 (t) thousand refugees are crammed into the country's biggest camp here at Cegrane, 60 kilometres (almost 38 miles) west of Skopje. Refugees have been chopping down trees on the hillsides in order to get enough fuel for heating and cooking. But it could have disastrous consequences for the environment. Without the trees for protection heavy rains could wash away the topsoil. Aid agencies are trying to install communal kitchens fueled by gas in a bid to prevent this increasingly alarming situation, SOUNDBITE: (English) "The issue here now that we are facing is deforestation. Around here we are surrounded by mountains and people living in the camp are going to chop firewood. Obviously this is a bit detrimental for the environment so we are looking at community kitchens so people can cook with gas and not have to chop down the local trees here. And hopefully we'll have that up and running in the very near future." SUPERCAPTION: Dani Woods, Coordinator CARE Australia In addition to causing damage to the surrounding environment, cooking with firewood requires a lot more work for the refugee women. SOUNDBITE: (Albanian) "It's better to cook with gas in a community kitchen because its difficult to fetch wood." SUPERCAPTION: Vox pop In spite of efforts to clear the accumulating waste and set up sewerage systems, fields are piled high with rubbish and rivers are becoming critically polluted. However, in the heat of the summer months, young children are still cooling off playing in the filthy waters - raising fears of a cholera epidemic. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...