Leaders at summit put $4 bn to work

By: Jerry Norton

JAKARTA - World leaders tried to put $4 billion in aid pledged for tsunami survivors to work yesterday, the urgency of their task conveyed in a chilling warning that the death toll could double without quick action to prevent disease.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed at the summit

in the Indonesian capital Jakarta for $977 million to be promised

to specific projects, covering basic humanitarian needs for an

estimated 5 million people in the next six months.

"What happened on 26 December, 2004 was an unprecedented, global

catastrophe. It requires an unprecedented, global response," he

said, calling it the largest natural disaster the world body had

faced.

 

Governments around the world have pledged $3,7 billion in aid so

far and private groups, corporations and individuals another $630

million.

 

Aid workers have yet to reach large parts of Aceh, a province of

four million people on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra

island, because the gargantuan waves destroyed roads, bridges and

ports.

 

They fear the overall death toll, now around 145 000 from the

strongest earthquake in 40 years and the tsunami it spawned, could

climb higher when they do get to these parts.

 

The summit in Indonesia, focusing on longer-term aid now that

the global relief effort is in full swing, was also set to endorse

debt relief to help nations rebuild, and back a warning system to

save lives in the future.

 

It opened amid extraordinary security with a minute of silence

for the victims.

 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned before the summit

that access to safe drinking water remained inadequate, encouraging

diarrhoeal diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

 

"If basic needs ... are not urgently restored to all populations

by the end of this week, WHO fears that outbreaks of infectious

disease could result in a similar number of fatalities as occurred

due to the direct impact of the tsunami," it said.

 

- Nampa-Reuters

 

"What happened on 26 December, 2004 was an unprecedented, global

catastrophe. It requires an unprecedented, global response," he

said, calling it the largest natural disaster the world body had

faced.Governments around the world have pledged $3,7 billion in aid

so far and private groups, corporations and individuals another

$630 million.Aid workers have yet to reach large parts of Aceh, a

province of four million people on the northern tip of Indonesia's

Sumatra island, because the gargantuan waves destroyed roads,

bridges and ports.They fear the overall death toll, now around 145

000 from the strongest earthquake in 40 years and the tsunami it

spawned, could climb higher when they do get to these parts.The

summit in Indonesia, focusing on longer-term aid now that the

global relief effort is in full swing, was also set to endorse debt

relief to help nations rebuild, and back a warning system to save

lives in the future.It opened amid extraordinary security with a

minute of silence for the victims.The World Health Organisation

(WHO) warned before the summit that access to safe drinking water

remained inadequate, encouraging diarrhoeal diseases such as

cholera and dysentery."If basic needs ... are not urgently restored

to all populations by the end of this week, WHO fears that

outbreaks of infectious disease could result in a similar number of

fatalities as occurred due to the direct impact of the tsunami," it

said.- Nampa-Reuters

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