Paris:The number of attacks damaging or destroying water supply and sanitation systems in conflict zones has tripled between 2021 and 2025, according to a report released by UNICEF on Thursday. The UN agency warns that these attacks further expose children to epidemics, malnutrition, and violence.
According to Agencia de Noticias da Guine, the report, conducted in 23 countries and territories from January 2021 to June 2026, highlights the increase in attacks, which have become more frequent, varied, and geographically widespread worldwide. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell emphasized the critical need for the protection of these facilities, as humanitarian workers strive to maintain water supplies despite the attacks.
The report identifies seven types of attacks, including bombings of treatment plants, pipelines, and wells, contamination of water sources, and restrictions on access to spare parts and chemicals necessary for water treatment. In Burkina Faso, over 145 water supply points were destroyed in attacks between 2020 and 2025, leaving approximately 830,000 people without access to water, with more than half being children.
The situation in Gaza is also alarming, with over 130 kilometers of sewer pipes damaged since October 2023. In refugee camps in eastern Chad, which host people fleeing the war in Sudan, the World Health Organization (WHO) linked a hepatitis E outbreak to the lack of access to clean water and sanitation. Half of the 2,092 suspected cases recorded between January and April 2024 involved children and adolescents aged 6 to 17.
The report documents cases of children being killed, injured, or subjected to other forms of violence while waiting in lines to fetch water, including several incidents in Gaza. UNICEF calls on all parties in conflicts, as well as governments, funders, and humanitarian organizations, to recognize water, sanitation, and hygiene systems in conflict areas as essential infrastructure for the survival of civilians, particularly children.
The agency also advocates for ensuring safe, rapid, and unrestricted access for humanitarian workers and the transportation of essential equipment and supplies necessary for the operation of water and energy systems.