117 million people living in conflict, disaster areas lack access to safe water - UNICEF

• No fewer than 117 million people living in conflict and disaster affected areas are said to lack access to safe water

• According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), most affected are children

• UNICEF has appealed for $3.6 billion (N1.3 trillion) to enable it provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to 48 million children living through conflict across the globe

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said that 117 million people living in conflict and disaster affected areas lack access to safe water.

The international agency said violent conflict is driving humanitarian needs to critical levels across the world.

Noting that children are the most vulnerable in conflicts that have ravaged countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen among many others, UNICEF said, the disaster continue to deepen in complexity, bringing new waves of violence, displacement and disruption to children’s lives.
It further appealed for $3.6 billion (N1.3 trillion) to enable it provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to 48 million children living through conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies in 51 countries in 2018.

In a statement released on Tuesday, January 30, the director of emergency programmes for UNICEF, Manuel Fontaine, said children around the world cannot wait for wars to come to an end.

Fontaine said: “Children are the most vulnerable when conflict or disaster causes the collapse of essential services such as healthcare, water and sanitation. Unless the international community takes urgent action to protect and provide life-saving assistance to these children, they face an increasingly bleak future."

Fontaine also condemned the fact that parties involved in various wars are showing 'blatant' disregard for children.

Decrying the dangers faced by children living in these areas, the agency said these children are not only coming under direct attack, but are also being denied basic services as schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure are damaged or destroyed.
It noted that approximately 84% of the appeal - $3.015 billion - would be used for work in countries affected by humanitarian crises borne of violence and conflict.

It also said that the spread of water-borne diseases is one of the greatest threats to children’s lives in crises caused by attacks on water and sanitation infrastructure, siege tactics which deny children access to safe water, as well as forced displacement into areas with no water and sanitation infrastructure.

UNICEF said these attacks and its effects leave children and families at risk of relying on contaminated water and unsafe sanitation.

It also said that girls and women face additional threats, as they often fulfill the role of collecting water for their families in dangerous situations.

“117 million people living through emergencies lack access to safe water and in many countries affected by conflict, more children die from diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation than from direct violence.

“Without access to safe water and sanitation, children fall ill, and are often unable to be treated as hospitals and health centres either do not function or are overcrowded.

"The threat is even greater as millions of children face life-threatening levels of malnutrition, making them more susceptible to water-borne diseases like cholera, creating a vicious cycle of under-nutrition and disease.

The largest component of UNICEF’s appeal this year is for children and families caught up in the Syria conflict, soon to enter its eighth year. UNICEF is seeking almost $1.3 billion to support 6.9 million Syrian children inside Syria and those living as refugees in neighbouring countries," the statement said.

The statement also said the agency aims to provide 35.7 million people with access to safe water; reach 8.9 million children with formal or non-formal basic education; immunize 10 million children against measles; provide psychosocial support to over 3.9 million children; and treat 4.2 million children with severe acute malnutrition.
Recounting its achievements in the past year, UNICEF said, 29.9 million people were provided with access to safe water; 13.6 million children were vaccinated against measles; 5.5 million children accessed some form of education; 2.5 million children were treated for severe acute malnutrition; while 2.8 million children accessed psycho-social support in 2017.