Photo stories: Millions displaced in Pakistan

A crowd of newly arrived women and children wait to show their temporary ID cards at a distribution of rice and oil in an old cigarette factory near Mardan, north-west Pakistan. Over 2 million Pakistanis displaced by conflict between Government forces and militants in the north-west region are taking shelter in public buildings, with host families or in rental accommodations. UNHCR/A. Fazzina

About 31,000 displaced people have taken refuge at Yar Hussain camp, Pakistan, where searing heat and the threat of monsoon rains exacerbate the health risks faced by the people. The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with partners to ensure that basic health needs are being met. WHO/Jan Brouwer

A young boy walks through clouds of smoke as the Sheikh Shehzad camp is fumigated against mosquitoes at dusk. This camp on the outskirts of Mardan, north-west Pakistan, is now home to thousands of families fleeing the Swat and Buner region, the area that is the centre of a reported army offensive against Al Qaida and Taliban. UNHCR/A. Fazzina

The World Food Programme (WFP) is currently feeding more than 2 million displaced people in north-west Pakistan, dispatching record amounts of wheat flour, rice, sugar and pulses. An estimated 60 per cent of those displaced are children under the age of 18, who are in critical need of, among others, health and educational services, nutritional support, water and sanitation. WFP/Amjad Jamal

Volunteer cooks ladle rice into serving bowls for dinner at an open air kitchen in Sheikh Shehzad camp for the internally displaced in north-west Pakistan. UN agencies have lauded the generosity of the Pakistanis who have provided food, shelter and other resources to those in need. UNHCR/A. Fazzina

With temperatures rising to 39 degrees Celsius, people displaced by violence in north-west Pakistan have said the inside of their tents are like ovens. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is working to improve conditions, building shade structures over tents to relieve the heat, privacy walls around groups of tents and infrastructure like lighting and fencing. IRIN/Shabbir Hussain Imam

Displaced children and men crowd an ice truck during a distribution in the Swabi camp in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. By 27 June 2009, more than 1.9 million people had been displaced in the province by an upsurge in fighting between government forces and militants. Nearly 5,000 people are living in the camp, supported by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).UNICEF/Ramoneda

Acute diarrhoea is a common disease within the Pakistani displaced communities: 10 per cent suffer from this serious illness. The cramped living conditions, inadequate supplies of safe water and challenges to maintain hygiene and sanitation contribute to the disease's prevalence in camps and host communities. WHO/Jan Brouwer

Unsafe drinking-water is a major health threat in camps for displaced people. At Sheikh Shehzad camp in Mardan district, north-west Pakistan, environmental engineers from the World Health Organization (WHO) test the safety of the water before it is distributed, to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. WHO/Jan Brouwer

Families displaced by conflict leave Jalozai camp to return to their homes in the Swat Valley, Pakistan, on 13 July 2009. While some look forward to going home, others remain concerned about the security situation. Returns are organized by the Government. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is involved in monitoring the voluntary nature of the returns and in assisting with relief items. UNHCR /H. Caux