UNICEF Attacks on water systems triple, putting children at risk

Reported attacks that damaged or destroyed water and sanitation systems in conflict rose threefold between 2021 and 2025, heightening children’s risk to disease outbreaks, malnutrition and violence, according to a new UNICEF report released today.
Water Under Fire Volume 4 documents attacks harming water, sanitation and hygiene systems, workers and users in 23 countries and territories between January 2021 and June 2026.
It finds growing patterns of attacks, with more frequent and varied attacks affecting wider geographic areas globally.
“Attacks on water and sanitation systems deprive children of safe drinking water and the essential services that rely on water to function effectively,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“Humanitarian workers do their best to keep water flowing despite increasing attacks. However, repairs cannot substitute for the protection of these facilities that is required under international humanitarian law.”

The report describes seven types of attacks. They range from strikes on treatment plants, pipelines and wells to the contamination of water sources, restrictions on spare parts and treatment chemicals.
The report also documents how children have been killed, injured or harmed while queuing for water, with multiple examples documented in Gaza. Where families must collect water outside the home, women and girls do this in seven out of ten households. Longer, more dangerous journeys raise their risk of sexual violence and take time away from school.
The people who keep water running are also at risk, with the UN recording 14 staff of Lebanon's Water Establishments killed during the conflict in 2024.

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