Lack of clean water, more deadly than violence: UNICEF report

According to the latest report of the United Nations Children's Fund, attacks on water supply and sanitation centers in violence-prone areas are creating a crisis in the lives of millions of children.

Ground Report | New Delhi: The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) report states that attacks on water supply and sanitation centers in the areas affected by violent conflict and its access to water are creating a crisis for the lives of millions of children. According to the report, the availability and safety of safe, reliable and cleanliness services is an important factor in saving the lives of millions of children.

Nine countries mentioned in report

This report, titled Water Under Fire Volume 3, focuses on the nine countries, including countries across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe which are most affected by violence and confrontation. The report also examines the impact on children due to this reason. Covid-19 and children facing the double threat of conflict may be life-threatening, unable to access safe water with congested hospitals and very few medical supplies.

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The report examines the enormous impact on children and families when water and sanitation infrastructure is attacked, damaged or destroyed, controlled or otherwise banned in countries beset by armed conflict. This highlights that children's access to water is threatened in almost every conflict-related emergency, where UNICEF is responding.

Attack on water is an attack on children"

UNICEF says that without access to safe water, children fall ill. Schools and hospitals are not working and this spreads disease and malnutrition. Millions of vulnerable children are growing up in war and their water and sanitation services are under attack. Attack on water is an attack on children.

The report also details dangerous attacks on water supply infrastructure. For example, in eastern Ukraine, 3.2 million people need water and sanitation services. There have been 380 attacks there in the last four years.

Conflict affects

The report said that since 2019, there have been 95 attacks on water and sanitation centers in Palestine, due to which 16 lakh people have been denied these basic services.

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In the last six years of war in Yemen, there were 122 air strikes. Thousands of children fall ill every week due to the outbreak of cholera and about 15 million people need safe water.

In this UNICEF report, the UN member countries, including the Security Council, have been requested to determine the accountability of the perpetrators of these attacks. Along with this, the donors have been urged to invest in water services in violent areas.

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