○○○ বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র : অষ্টম খন্ড II. The Refugees The refugees, many of whom have walked distances of up to 150 miles; appear to have travelled from cities and villages relatively near the Indian border. There are unquestionably large numbers of Pakistanis who are unable to escape because of their more central location within East Pakistan. They have come to India initially by way of the usual border crossings and along roads normally travelled. With the closure of the borders by the Pakistani military, large numbers are continuing to infiltrate through the 1,300 mile border with India through forests and swamps. These groups, with numbers sometimes up to 50,000 in a 24 hour period have for the most part settled along the major routes in India. They are found wherever there is a combination of available ground and minimal water supply. Many of them have avoided camp communities and have "melted" into the countryside. The refugee camps may vary in size from small groups to upwards of 50,000. There has been an extraordinary effort on the part of the West Bengal and Indian Government to organise these camps and supply them with at least minimal amounts of food and water. The camps are frequently located adjacent to existing Indian villages. Attempts have been made to set up camps on higher terrain but this is frequently impossible. It is obvious that much of the refugee areas will be under water during the monsoon ՏՇ:1Տ()I1. The shelter, when it does exist, is of three main types- small that-ched huts made of locally available material, small low tent made from wood frames covered with tarpaulins supplied by the relief authorities, and, where available, cement casement and drainage pipes are used for shelter. At present, all tarpaulin material within India has been exhausted, and attempts are being made to use plastic material. Water is usually supplied by one or two pumps within the refugee area. These are hand-drilled wells which are equipped with standard single lever pump. Sanitary facilities are almost not-existent. Initially small slit trench latrines were located within close proximity to the area of the refugee villages, but attempts are now being made by authorities to place larger, better designed facilities at least some distance from the camps. The inadequate drainage system, the shallow wells and inadequate sanitation make cross contamination an obvious sequence. There is a critical need in these camps for some type of adequate sanitary facilities-even more acutely a need for power-drills so as to facilitate the speed with which they can be constructed and improve the depth of the wells. Adequate facilities in both these areas with adequate separation are probably the single most important need for maintaining some type of minimal health conditions. The refugee diet is dependent upon food supplied by the relief authorities and those small amounts which they can supplement by local purchase. This consists of rice boiled in open clay pots, some powdered mild which is occasionally available, and dall, which is a lentil type of bean used for a thin soup. In a few isolated cases some green vegetables had been distributed, but this is the exception rather than the rule. At this point, the diet would be classified as barely adequate. III. Health Conditions The physical appearance of most of the refugees shows the signs of hardship, low caloric intake" and inadequate clothing. The children see to be doing reasonably well
