Tsunami threat to water supplies

Fresh water supplies in countries hit by the Asian tsunami are under serious threat, according to a UN report. Drinking water sources have been contaminated by salt water and sewage, and every well in Sri Lanka may have been affected, the study says.

Hazardous materials such as toxic waste and asbestos from buildings may also be in the water in some areas, it adds. The study is the first attempt to assess of the environmental damage caused by the 26 December disaster.

"Shallow wells and groundwater supplies, especially in small islands, are now contaminated with salt water," says the study carried out in Indonesia, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Yemen.

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