E/C.12/COL/CO/6 in serious violations of the right to water, the right to adequate food and the right to health in affected communities, as well as damage to the environment (arts. 11 and 12). 60. The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts to ensure that its water resources are duly protected and that it take the necessary measures to ensure that the use of water by the mining industry does not jeopardize access to safe drinking water, particularly for the communities that may be affected. The Committee further recommends that the State party take appropriate measures to ensure the proper treatment of water used in mining. The Committee refers the State party to its general comment No. 15 (2002) on the right to water. Right to health 61. The Committee is concerned at the prevailing disparities in the availability, accessibility, quality and affordability of health-care services, which mainly affect persons in the low-income bracket and persons living in rural or remote areas. The Committee is also concerned at reports that some hospitals in the State party are in a precarious situation owing to the scarcity and irregular supply of provisions, medicine and medical equipment and to the shortage of doctors and other health-care professionals (art. 12). 62. The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts to allocate sufficient resources to the health sector and that it redouble its efforts to ensure the accessibility, availability, affordability and quality of health care, paying special attention to the needs of the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups, including indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombians, and to the geographical characteristics of rural areas. The Committee urges the State party to take the necessary measures to ensure the effective implementation of the National Plan for Rural Health, which provides for, inter alia, the improvement of the public health facilities, goods and services in rural areas, including the most remote areas, in order to ensure that those areas have qualified medical personnel and scientifically approved drugs and hospital equipment, that the equipment is in good condition, and that sanitary conditions in those areas are adequate. Right to education 63. The Committee welcomes the efforts made by the State party to improve access to education, particularly through an increase in budget. However, it remains concerned at: (a) The persistent inequality in access to education between rural and urban areas, which mainly affects indigenous and Afro-Colombian children and children who have been internally displaced, including for security reasons related to the presence of antipersonnel landmines; (b) The inadequate provision of preschool education for children belonging to the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups; (c) The high dropout and repetition rates in secondary education, which significantly affects indigenous and Afro-Colombian children on account of, inter alia, the lack of adequate and good-quality intercultural education; (d) Reports that, in some regions, families have to bear the indirect costs of education, such as school supplies and uniforms, which they cannot afford; (e) The poor quality of education, particularly in rural and remote areas, owing to, inter alia, the shortage of qualified teachers, attributable in part to inadequate working conditions and the absence of adequate infrastructure; (f) Inadequate access to inclusive education for children and adolescents with disabilities (art. 13). 64. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Redouble its efforts to eliminate the disparities in access to education between urban and rural areas and to ensure proper access to education for children 10 GE.17-18290