World leaders warned: stop 'second wave of death'

AS world leaders gathered yesterday to coordinate aid for earthquake victims in Asia, doctors warned another 150,000 could die if basic needs such as water were not restored by the end of the week.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said serious health problems - gangrenous wounds that require amputations, children with diarrhoea and pneumonia caused by exposure to dirty water - could cause a rash of infectious disease outbreaks that could kill as many as the tsunami's direct impact.

"Five million people have been severely affected," said WHO director-general Dr Lee Jong-wook.

"We now estimate that as many as 150,000 people are at extreme risk, if a major disease outbreak in the affected areas occurs."

In Jakarta, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan pressed world leaders to quickly make good on their promises of help. Leaders from more than 20 nations also pledged to set up an Indian Ocean tsunami early warning system, and to consider endorsing a debt moratorium for the 11 affected countries.

"Our response to this unprecedented catastrophe must be equally unprecedented," said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose nation was worst hit.

About 100,000 Indonesians are believed dead.

Promises of support have flooded in - over €4 billion so far - but the United Nations fears, as in previous disasters, not all will materialise.

Just more than a year ago, donors promised Iran over €1bn in relief after an earthquake killed 26,000.

Iranian officials say only €14m arrived.

Trócaire director Justin Kilcullen said the international community, including the EU, had a poor reputation for delivering on pledges for disasters.

He said only a third of the €2.5bn pledged to Honduras following Hurricane Mitch in 1999 had been delivered, while less than half of the €700m pledged to Afghanistan had come through.

Of the €1.1bn pledged following the Bam earthquake in Iran in 2003, only €17.5m has been given. He called on Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern to press the issue at the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels today.

Mr Annan said much of the tsunami money and other assistance had already arrived, but that "we need the rest of the pledges to be converted into cash quickly.

"We have a duty to the survivors ... to stop the tsunami from being followed by a second wave of death," he said.

Mr Annan set out broadly how almost €2bn in donations should be spent, on emergency aid, food, health care, water, sanitation, shelter and helping survivors return to work.

Plans for an Indian Ocean tsunami early warning system, like one already running in the Pacific, topped the summit agenda.

Meanwhile, Allied Irish Bank last night announced a €3m donation for the victims. AIB has agreed to match staff contributions at a rate of three to one, which would all go to GOAL.