Inadequate health care and water and sanitation services in much of Iraq are putting millions of people at risk of disease, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday.

"There has been some improvement in recent months, both in terms of security and essential services. But far too many Iraqis still have no choice but to drink dirty water and live in insalubrious conditions," said Juan-Pedro Schaerer, the ICRC's head of delegation for Iraq.

"This leads to more sick people seeking treatment in a health-care system already stretched to the limit," Schaerer said in a statement.

According to the Geneva-based agency, some 40 percent of Iraq's total population, mainly in the countryside and suburbs, are still living in households not connected to a water network.

Iraqis sit in front of a U.S soldier in Baquba, in Diyala province some 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad October 27, 2008.[Xinhua/Reuters]

Even households that do have piped water regularly experience problems owing to a chronic lack of maintenance and innumerable illegal connections to the network.

Furthermore, many Iraqis have to live with the health hazards of uncollected household waste and untreated sewage.

As a result, many people contract water-borne diseases, further straining hospitals and clinics already struggling with a lack of resources.

Water, sanitation and health care are among the primary concerns of the ICRC in Iraq, the agency said.

"We plan to gradually increase our aid across Iraq. The needs are growing all the time, despite the considerable efforts of the authorities and increased humanitarian assistance," said Schaerer.

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2008)