Ukraine: 1.5 million people at risk of water Shortage

More than 6 weeks of conflict in Ukraine have devastated both water and electricity networks, leaving 1.4 million people without access to piped water in eastern Ukraine and a further 4.6 million people across the country at risk of losing water supply.

At least 20 separate incidents of damage to water infrastructure have been recorded in eastern Ukraine alone. The intensification of fighting in the east and the widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas threatens to further decimate the water system, which is now at risk of complete collapse, following 8 years of low-grade conflict on an already ailing network.

One year ago, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2573, recalling the international humanitarian law (IHL) obligations of all parties to armed conflicts to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including water facilities. However, civilian infrastructure, including water, sanitation and electricity networks have been destroyed during the war in Ukraine, severely hampering people’s access to vital services.

Young children who live in conflict zones are 20 times more likely to die from diarrhoeal diseases linked to unsafe water than from direct violence, as a result of war,” said UNICEF Ukraine Representative, Murat Sahin. “Their access to water, wherever they are, must not be jeopardised as a result of war – for children, it is a matter of life and death,” added Sahin.

_{source: RF/ UNICEF}