Attacks that damaged or destroyed water and sanitation systems in conflict zones tripled between 2021 and 2025, increasing children's risk of exposure to disease outbreaks, malnutrition and violence.
That's one key finding from the latest Water Under Fire report by the UN Children's Fund ( UNICEF ), published on Thursday.
It documents airstrikes and other assaults on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems - and their personnel and communities that depend on these facilities - in 23 countries and territories.
Attacks rose from fewer than 45 incidents across eight countries in 2021 to more than 135 incidents across 15 countries in 2025.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stressed that attacks on water and sanitation systems "deprive children of safe drinking water and the essential services that rely on water to function effectively".
Multiple types of attacks
Water Under Fire 4 covers the period from January 2021 to June 2026, revealing an increasing pattern of attacks worldwide.
The report identified seven assault categories, ranging from strikes on treatment plants, pipelines and wells, to contamination of water sources, and imposing restrictions on the supply of spare parts and chemicals needed for water treatment.
It cited examples from places such as Sudan, where by March 2024, only one of the 13 water treatment plants in Khartoum state was fully operational, while more than 130,000 meters of sewage pipelines have been destroyed in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
The report revealed how water supply disruptions can occur even if pipes and pumps remain intact.
In Iraq, a drone attack on a gas field in November 2025 reduced electricity production in the Kurdistan region by about 80 per cent, forcing authorities to ration and distribute power between water projects, hospitals and cities.
Actions have consequences
Beyond access to drinking water, attacks also have indirect and long-term consequences - what the UNICEF report called "reverberating effects".
The agency said lack of clean water means that health systems cannot sterilize equipment, deliver babies safely or prepare therapeutic milk for children suffering from severe malnutrition.
The report also documented instances of children being killed, injured, or harmed while waiting in line for water, citing numerous examples from the Gaza Strip.
It highlighted the threats faced by women and girls, who are often responsible for fetching water for their families, including risk of sexual violence and loss of educational opportunities.
Attention was also given to the risks faced by workers in water facilities, with the UN, for example, recording the killing of 14 water facility employees in Lebanon during the 2024 conflict.
Call for protection
UNICEF called on warring parties, Member States, donors, and humanitarian and development actors to:
🔹 Protect water, sanitation and hygiene systems in conflict zones as an indispensable element for the survival of civilians, especially children.
🔹 Establish a mechanism to systematically collect data on attacks targeting water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in conflict contexts.
🔹 Protect children and communities seeking access to water, sanitation and hygiene services, as well as protecting workers in these sectors and in the energy sector.
🔹 Facilitate safe and unhindered access for humanitarian, water and energy workers to those in need, and to the essential supplies necessary for the continued operation of water and energy systems, and
🔹 Invest in approaches that are resilient to conflict, and supporting locally led service continuity arrangements.
Protection, not repairs
The report noted that funding cuts are undermining humanitarian efforts to ensure access to clean water.
Among countries experiencing a coordinated humanitarian response in the WASH sector, 137.9 million people need assistance in this area, while only 26 per cent of the funding required this year has been received.
"Humanitarian workers do their best to keep water flowing despite increasing attacks," said Ms. Russell. "However, repairs cannot substitute for the protection of these facilities that is required under international humanitarian law."
