Only a small number of Mozambique's rural areas have latrines, while even fewer have access to protected water sources, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) said on Friday.

"In Mozambique's rural areas, safe water and sanitation services are still in short supply: only 26% of the rural population has access to protected water sources, and only 29% of that group has a latrine," Unicef said in a statement.

Unicef is highlighting Mozambique's water problems on World Water Day 2004 today, which focuses on ‘Water and Disaster’.

“Over the past years, Mozambique has experienced the tremendous impact of both too much and too little rain. Floods, as well as droughts, further impede the access to safe water, thus increasing the risk of diarrhoeal diseases.

“The impact is especially dramatic for children and for people living with HIV/Aids,” Unicef representative Marie-Pierre Poirier said.

"The country has learned from the floods in 2000 and 2001, as well as from the drought which followed, by developing a comprehensive preparedness strategy including measures to improve access to water and sanitation," she said.

"This is a very important development, which strengthened the response and made a significant difference in the lives of many Mozambicans."

Over 20,000 children under five years die in Mozambique each year of diarrhoea. This equates to 55 child deaths per day.

"Where water sources are unprotected, where excreta is disposed in the open, and poor personal and environmental hygiene practices are prevalent, children are at high risk of falling sick with diarrhoea, which easily can have dramatic consequences,” Poirier said.

Children are more likely to die from diarrhoeal diseases than adults, as they dehydrate more quickly.

The centre and the south of Mozambique have suffered from a drought since 2001.

The country has a high rate of HIV/Aids infection. For those infected, safe water and sanitation are crucial to keep them healthy and prevent opportunistic infections.

"Their ability to access these vital services has been further hampered in the drought-affected areas."

According to the Vulnerability Assessment Committee, in the six provinces surveyed in May-June 2003, 28 percent of children aged six to 59 months were suffering from diarrhoea in the two weeks prior to the assessment, compared to 5,6% recorded nationally during the 2001 survey.

"The tremendous impact of improper sanitation and lack of hygiene in Mozambique is further demonstrated by the recent cholera outbreak," Unicef said.

The disease is endemic in many parts of the country. Between December 2003 and mid-March 2004, 14 000 cases were registered in seven provinces and Maputo City with 76 deaths (up to March 12).

"This can only be turned around by an accelerated and well-coordinated effort to radically improve the access to protected water sources and sanitation facilities, and to increase awareness about the importance of strict personal hygiene," Unicef said. – Sapa.