UNICEF Warns Attacks on Water Systems Have Tripled, Putting Children at Greater Risk

UNICEF stressed that protecting water infrastructure is a requirement under international humanitarian law and cannot be replaced by emergency repairs after damage has already occurred.

Attacks damaging or destroying water and sanitation systems in conflict-affected countries increased threefold between 2021 and 2025, exposing millions of children to unsafe drinking water, infectious diseases and worsening humanitarian conditions. A new UNICEF report warns that the destruction of essential water infrastructure is becoming an increasingly serious threat to children's health, nutrition and safety, particularly in communities already struggling with violence and displacement. The findings highlight how damage to water treatment facilities, pipelines and sanitation networks can disrupt everyday life and make survival more difficult for families living in conflict zones.

The report, Water Under Fire Volume 4, examines attacks affecting water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, workers and service users across 23 countries and territories between January 2021 and June 2026. UNICEF documented growing patterns of attacks across wider geographical areas, identifying seven forms of disruption that include damage to treatment plants, pipelines and wells, contamination of water sources and restrictions on essential repair materials and treatment chemicals. These attacks can leave entire communities without reliable water supplies, increasing the likelihood of disease outbreaks and forcing families to depend on unsafe alternatives.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned that attacks on water and sanitation infrastructure deprive children of safe drinking water and disrupt essential services that depend on functioning water systems. Humanitarian workers continue repairing damaged facilities and maintaining supplies under dangerous conditions, but repeated destruction makes it increasingly difficult to provide uninterrupted access to clean water. UNICEF stressed that protecting water infrastructure is a requirement under international humanitarian law and cannot be replaced by emergency repairs after damage has already occurred.

Conflict-Related Damage Leaves Millions Without Safe Water

The consequences of attacks on water infrastructure are particularly severe in countries experiencing prolonged armed conflict, where damaged facilities often cannot be repaired quickly because of insecurity and limited resources. In Sudan, only one of Khartoum State's 13 water treatment plants remained operational by March 2024, severely restricting access to safe water in affected communities. Burkina Faso experienced the destruction of more than 145 water points between 2020 and 2025, cutting off access for approximately 830,000 people, more than half of whom were children.

Gaza has experienced extensive damage to sanitation infrastructure since October 2023, with more than 130,000 metres of sewage pipelines destroyed or damaged during the conflict. The destruction has contributed to untreated wastewater being discharged into the Mediterranean Sea and temporary holding areas, creating serious environmental and public health concerns. UNICEF warned that attacks affecting electricity and energy infrastructure can also interrupt water services even when treatment equipment, pumps and pipelines remain physically intact.

In Ukraine, attacks damaging energy infrastructure had left nearly seven million children without sustained access to electricity, heating and water by December 2022. A drone attack on a gas field in Iraq in November 2025 reduced electricity production across the Kurdistan Region by approximately 80 per cent, forcing authorities to ration power among hospitals, cities and water facilities. These examples demonstrate how damage to interconnected infrastructure can create widespread disruptions that extend far beyond the original sites of attacks.

Unsafe Water Increases Disease, Malnutrition and Violence Risks

Children living without reliable access to clean water face greater risks of diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition and infections that can become life-threatening when healthcare services are already under pressure. Hospitals and health centres depend on clean water to sterilise medical equipment, support safe childbirth and prepare therapeutic milk for children experiencing severe malnutrition. Repeated diarrhoeal infections can prevent children from absorbing essential nutrients, weakening their immune systems and making recovery from illness increasingly difficult.

In eastern Chad, where camps accommodate refugees fleeing Sudan, the World Health Organization linked a hepatitis E outbreak to inadequate access to safe water and sanitation facilities. Between January and April 2024, authorities recorded 2,092 suspected cases, with children aged six to 17 accounting for approximately half of those affected. The outbreak demonstrates how unsafe water conditions can quickly become a major health emergency in crowded displacement settings where families have limited access to sanitation and medical assistance.

The report also highlights the dangers faced by children and families collecting water in conflict zones, including documented incidents in Gaza where people were killed or injured during water collection. Women and girls are responsible for fetching water in seven out of ten households where water must be collected outside the home, exposing them to longer and potentially dangerous journeys that increase risks of sexual violence and disrupt education. Water service workers face serious threats during conflict, with the United Nations recording the deaths of 14 employees of Lebanon's Water Establishments during fighting in 2024.

UNICEF Urges Greater Protection and Funding for Water Services

Humanitarian organisations are developing alternative water supply systems to reduce dependence on vulnerable energy networks and improve access in communities affected by conflict. In Afghanistan, approximately 65 per cent of UNICEF-supported water systems now operate using solar power, helping maintain supplies when fuel availability or electricity networks become unreliable. Other measures include training local technicians, storing spare parts before emergencies and developing smaller community-based water systems that reduce the risk of widespread disruption following a single attack.

Severe funding shortages are threatening these efforts, leaving humanitarian organisations struggling to maintain essential water and sanitation services for vulnerable populations. UNICEF estimates that 137.9 million people require WASH assistance in countries with coordinated humanitarian responses, but only 26 per cent of the funding needed for 2026 has been received. The shortage could limit emergency repairs, infrastructure improvements and preventive measures intended to protect communities from waterborne diseases and repeated service disruptions.

UNICEF is calling on governments, parties involved in armed conflicts, international donors and humanitarian organisations to treat water and sanitation systems as essential infrastructure for civilian survival. Its recommendations include establishing systematic monitoring of attacks, protecting children and water service personnel, ensuring safe humanitarian access and investing in infrastructure designed to withstand conflict-related damage. The agency emphasised that sustained funding, local participation and stronger protection of essential services are necessary to safeguard children's health and prevent the growing humanitarian consequences of attacks on water systems.