UNICEF: Attacks on Water Systems in Conflict Zones Tripled Between 2021 and 2025

Children Face Rising Disease Risks as Attacks on Water Systems Triple Globally

Attacks that damage or destroy water and sanitation infrastructure in conflict zones tripled between 2021 and 2025, exposing children to disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and violence, UNICEF reported. The fourth edition of the agency’s report, titled Water Under Fire, documents violations across 23 countries and territories from January 2021 through June 2026. According to unicef.es, the data reveals an escalating trend of more frequent and diverse assaults affecting broader geographic areas.

The attacks that cause damage to water and sanitation systems deprive children of safe drinking water and of the essential services that rely on water to function effectively, said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, as reported by unicef.org.

Seven Distinct Tactics Target Essential Civilian Infrastructure

The report outlines seven distinct types of attacks deployed in active conflict zones. These methods range from direct strikes on water treatment plants, pipelines, and wells to the deliberate contamination of water sources and the restriction of spare parts and water treatment chemicals. In Sudan, only one of the 13 water treatment plants in Khartoum State remained operational as of March 2024. In Burkina Faso, attacks destroyed more than 145 water supply points between 2020 and 2025, cutting off roughly 830,000 people—over half of them children—from reliable access. Meanwhile, in Gaza, more than 130,000 meters of sewage pipes sustained damage starting in October 2023, forcing untreated wastewater into the Mediterranean Sea or temporary storage sites, as detailed by unicef.es. In Ukraine, strikes on energy grids left nearly seven million children without stable electricity, heating, and water in December 2022. In Iraq, a November 2025 drone strike on a gas field slashed electricity production in the Kurdistan Region by approximately 80 percent, forcing authorities to ration scarce power supplies among hospitals, cities, and water facilities, unicef.org reported.

Widespread Repercussions on Health and Humanitarian Relief Workers

The collapse of water systems triggers a cascade of secondary health crises. Without clean water, medical facilities cannot sterilize surgical equipment, manage safe deliveries, or prepare therapeutic milk needed to treat severe acute malnutrition. Repeated bouts of diarrhea from contaminated water prevent children from absorbing vital nutrients, eroding their immune systems against widespread infections.

Outbreaks follow these disruptions closely. In eastern Chad, the World Health Organization linked a hepatitis E outbreak among Sudanese refugees to inadequate safe water and sanitation. Children aged six to seventeen accounted for half of the 2,092 suspected cases recorded between January and April 2024. Civilians face physical danger simply trying to secure basic hydration. The report documents children killed or injured while waiting in water queues, particularly in Gaza. When households must fetch water from outside the home, women and girls shoulder that burden in seven out of ten families, exposing them to heightened risks of sexual violence and cutting into their schooling.

The personnel maintaining these vital networks face extreme hazards. According to La Jornada, 14 workers belonging to Lebanon’s water agencies were killed during the 2024 conflict.

Solar Adaptation Fights Funding Gaps Threatening Ongoing Relief

Humanitarian teams are altering their operational strategies to bypass damaged central grids. In Afghanistan, roughly 65 percent of UNICEF-supported water systems now run on solar power, which curtails reliance on vulnerable fuel supplies and national electrical networks. Despite these adaptations, humanitarian response efforts face severe financial deficits. Only 26 percent of the funding needed to meet the humanitarian water demands of roughly 138 million people in 2026 has been received, according to La Jornada. UNICEF has issued an urgent appeal to conflict parties, member states, donors, and humanitarian actors.