Water, an emergency that could worsen in the next 30 years, affecting 1 billion more people

ROMA – Around the world, 1 in 4 people do not have access to clean water. A condition which, combined with the lack of hygiene, causes the death of 1,000 children a day and which in countries affected by prolonged conflicts and climate chaos can be more lethal than direct violence. In Gaza, 98% of the water is not drinkable and 2 million displaced people are exhausted, forced to drink contaminated or salty water

The situation in Syria. Exactly 13 years after the start of the conflict, 13.5 million people are exposed to the risk of epidemics. equally tragic conditions In Ethiopia, where lDrought and the consequences of the war are leading the North of the country to famine. Until April 9th ​​it will be possible to support the projects of OXFAM to help change things, donating water and saving thousands of lives SMS solidale or call from landline to 45593.

An emergency announced. An emergency that could worsen over the next 30 years, affecting 1 billion more people. At the same time, half of the world’s population – 3.5 billion people – cannot count on adequate sanitation and hygiene services. Especially in countries affected by war or climate chaos, the lack of clean water and hygiene multiplies victims, exposing populations to epidemics of all sorts: every day over 1,000 children under 5 die for this reason.

Dirty water more lethal than violence. Dirty or unsafe water can be more lethal than direct violence in contexts of prolonged conflicts: in Gaza almost 2 million displaced people are exhausted; in Northern Ethiopia the population will face famine if the rainy season is delayed any longer; in Syria poverty and epidemics are decimating the population, exactly 13 years after the start of the conflict and a year after the earthquake that devastated the north-west of the country. Until April 9th, the period in which the World Water Dayyou can offer a small but precious contribution with a supportive SMS.

In Gaza you risk dying of thirst. “When we arrived in Rafah we no longer had water, in the refugee camps it is impossible to find drinkable water and we are forced to walk long distances to the first desalination plant. The alternative is to drink salty or dirty water.” Thus, Sami (a fictional name for security reasons) displaced towards the south of Gaza in search of refuge from the war, bears witness to a part of the humanitarian catastrophe underway in the Strip, where at the moment 98% of the available water is not drinking.

A terrible budget. The toll after almost 6 months of war is over 100 thousand people killed, injured or disappeared under the rubble, 360 thousand houses, schools and hospitals destroyed, power plants and water infrastructure unusable, 1.7 million displaced people, forced to flee I continue without a safe area to stay. Half are children exposed to the risk of epidemics due to overcrowding in shelters and a lack of water, sanitation and medicine. In Rafah – where over 1 million refugees are located – 4,000 people have to share a single shower, and the same bathroom is used every day by 800 people. The shelters, mostly informal camps, are exposed to the cold and bad weather, cases of dysentery have increased 40-fold, affecting people who are already debilitated and dehydrated. In northern Gaza, 300 thousand trapped people are now exhausted and affected by famine.

The work of OXFAM. intervened promptly after the start of the offensive in the Strip, following the attacks of 7 October, to respond to the enormous and growing needs of the population. A daily work that has made it possible to reach over 250 thousand people, including 120 thousand children, in the most affected areas. The distribution of clean water and food, or of blankets and warm clothes to face the winter was vital. Toilets were installed in the refugee camps, while in Rafah it was possible to start up 11 solar-powered desalination plants to guarantee clean water for 25 thousand displaced people forced to survive in increasingly critical conditions.

Ethiopia between war and drought. In Ethiopia, drought and the consequences of war are bringing millions of people to the brink of famine. In particular, in the north of the country and in the Tigray region, the crisis affects 1 in 3 inhabitants: here 9.4 million people no longer have anything to eat. Throughout East Africa in the last 5 years, the disappearance of the rains has been compounded by the shortage of seeds and the invasion of locusts, resulting in the loss of half of the crops, hundreds of thousands of hectares of arable land and tens of thousands of livestock. If the rainy season is delayed any longer, the situation could worsen further. Added to this is the desperate situation faced by almost 1 million refugees and around 4 million internally displaced people, who need immediate aid.

Clean water, food and basic necessities. To deal with the emergency, Oxfam teams worked to bring clean water, food and basic necessities to 400 thousand people from the poorest communities in Tigray. In the refugee camps of Jewi, Kule, Tierkidi and Nguenyyiel in the Gambella region, where many forced to flee the conflict in South Sudan have found refuge, it is intervening to guarantee adequate sanitation and clean water for hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Syria literally on its knees. 13 years after the start of a conflict, which caused over half a million victims and the most serious refugee emergency in the world, Syria finds itself having to face the reconstruction following the earthquake that devastated Turkey in February last year and the north-west of the country causing almost 6,000 deaths, over 12,000 injuries and enormous damage to homes and essential infrastructure. In a country bent by the economic crisis, where 85% of families are in poverty, the needs remain very great: over 40% of hospitals and health facilities are not functioning, while the population is facing the nightmare of cholera. Suffice it to say that at this moment over 13.5 million people are exposed to the risk of epidemics due to the lack of access to clean water and adequate sanitation. The most critical situation remains in the areas hit by the earthquake 12 months ago, in cities such as Aleppo, Hama, Idleb and Latakia, where over 4 million people depend on humanitarian aid to survive.