UNICEF: Lack of clean water far more deadly than violence

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) released on 25 May 2021 Water Under Fire Volume 3,  which focuses on Central African Republic, Iraq, Libya, Palestine, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen, nine countries where violence and conflict are prevalent, and assesses the impacts on children. The report estimates that, in these fragile regions, compared to voilent conflicts, diarrhoeal diseases (usually out of the lack of clean drinking water) are 20 times more likely to cause mortality of children under the age of five. The attacks on water and sanitation (WASH) infrastructure therefore harm children’s life and health far more than voilence. UNICEF therefore calls for joint actions of all parties to guaranteed access to safe and sufficient water. (UN News)