Photo by thisisbossi

There have long been concerns over health and sanitation at the Occupy D.C. encampment at McPherson Square, but how bad are things really?

Pretty damn near awful, said Dr. Mohammad Akhter, the director of the D.C. Department of Health, to the Post today. According to him, things have gotten so bad according that the Pakistan native compared the McPherson Square camp — which has seen an increase in the sighting of rats — to refugee camps he has toured in various parts of the world:

Akhter, who is originally from Pakistan and has worked for the District government for over 20 years, said that the situation in the two parks is reminiscent of refu­gee camps he has toured overseas in the Middle East and Africa during his public health career. He said he fears disaster could strike during a severe winter storm.

“Going down to these camps, it’s no different than refu­gee camps,” Akhter said. “People are living in very primitive conditions and they’re doing it by choice. They are very brave and thoughtful people, but my concern is that they should also take care of themselves. When the weather goes bad suddenly we’re watching a tragedy unfold in the middle of Washington, D.C.”

Last week, the kitchen at McPherson Square was closed for cleaning, and city officials have visited both encampments to monitor health conditions. Akhter told the Post that he would be reviewing reports to decide whether or not to advise the National Park Service to close down the camps. (The news probably isn’t particularly welcome by the occupiers, who are planning a January 17 protest at the U.S. Capitol.) If one lawyer has his way, though, the federal government will not be allowed to evict the protesters, no matter how bad things get.