Ongoing fighting in Lebanon is hindering the distribution of emergency supplies, while providing shelter for refugees is also proving complicated, humanitarian aid agencies warned on Thursday.

According to the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the situation in Lebanon is nothing less than a humanitarian emergency.

This is especially true in the south of the country, where the heaviest exchanges of fire between Israelis and Hezbollah militia have taken place.

The organization estimates that almost 1 million people - around a quarter of the Lebanese population - have been displaced by the conflict. And with fighting continuing, distribution of emergency supplies remains problematic for all aid specialists.

"The situation remains uncertain at the moment and this war could go on for some time, which complicates no end planning aid for displaced people," said Toni Frisch, head of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit.

The uncertainty has led the Swiss to re-evaluate how they should provide aid in the area. One proposal is the so-called Cash for Shelter concept, whereby refugees stay with other residents in exchange for cash.

The Lebanese government has said it is interested in the plan, and Frisch reckons a pilot project could be underway within the next two weeks.

"This solution would allow us to put up tens of thousands of people with relatively little work and without using equipment," Frisch told the Swiss News Agency.

Swiss specialists and the Lebanese authorities have also been evaluating sites for tent camps outside Beirut. So far, only one camp for about 100 families has been set up in the capital.

"It's easy to pitch a tent, but it's more difficult to evaluate where to set up a camp and what its needs will be in the medium and long-term future with a military situation that can evolve very quickly," added Frisch.

Distribution of first-aid kits and medication is underway, but is proceeding slowly because of security concerns and heavy fighting in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border.

The whole country has been under a blockade since Beirut airport was shut down and ships were told not to dock in Lebanon.

The ICRC has managed however to get authorizations for a few vessels carrying emergency aid and supplies. It was able to land 100 tons of food in Tyre, Lebanon's fourth largest city, on Wednesday.

While this is a major improvement, it may not prove to be enough. "The arrival of more ships is critical since we need to bring in more food every few days to replace the stocks that have been used up," an ICRC spokesman said.

Switzerland is also looking to help clean up some of the environmental damage inflicted by the conflict. It is co-financing an evaluation of the pollution caused two weeks ago after Israeli warplanes hit a coastal power plant south of Beirut.

According to media reports, the equivalent of around 110,000 barrels of oil poured into the Mediterranean. The oil has slicked about one third of Lebanon's coast.

The pollution has also drifted out into the Mediterranean, already hitting neighboring Syria, with experts warning that Cyprus, Turkey and even Greece could be affected.

The Israeli naval blockade and continuing military operations have made any cleanup impossible so far. Environmental officials say the longer the problem is allowed to go unchecked, the greater the lasting damage.

Source: Xinhua