The fund says it documented attacks across 8 countries in 2021 and 15 in 2025. Its wider report links damage to water services with risks to drinking water and healthcare.
UNICEF’s Water Under Fire 4 report says documented attacks on water and sanitation systems rose from fewer than 45 in 2021 to more than 135 in 2025. The earlier count covered 8 countries and the later one 15.
Published on 5 November, the report covers January 2021 to June 2026 across 23 countries and territories. It documents attacks on water, sanitation and hygiene systems, the people who work on them and the communities that depend on them.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said such attacks deprive children of safe drinking water and services that depend on it. The fund said a lack of clean water prevents health workers from sterilizing equipment, delivering babies safely and preparing therapeutic milk for severely malnourished children.
The report identifies 7 categories of attack, including strikes on treatment plants, pipelines and wells, contamination of water sources, and restrictions on spare parts and water-treatment chemicals. UN News said the report found that more than 130,000 meters of sewage pipelines had been destroyed in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. In Sudan, only 1 of Khartoum state’s 13 water treatment plants was fully operational by March 2024.
Water supplies can also be disrupted when pipes and pumps remain intact. The report said a November 2025 drone attack on a gas field reduced electricity production in Iraq’s Kurdistan region by about 80%, forcing authorities to ration power among water projects, hospitals and cities.
The report documents children killed, injured or otherwise harmed while waiting for water, including in Gaza. It also describes risks of sexual violence and lost education for women and girls who often collect water for their families. The UN recorded the killing of 14 water-facility employees during Lebanon’s 2024 conflict.
Bulgarian authorities found no threat after checking 3 Ryanair aircraft. Across Europe, bomb alerts prompted diversions and emergency landings for at least 22 flights on 5 November. All affected flights landed safely, and searches found nothing suspicious.
UNICEF said funding cuts are undermining efforts to provide clean water. In countries with coordinated humanitarian responses for water, sanitation and hygiene, 137.9 million people need assistance, but only 26% of the required 2026 funding had been received.
The fund called on warring parties, member states, donors and humanitarian and development organizations to protect facilities, communities and water and energy workers. It also called for safe and unhindered access for workers and supplies, investment in services that can withstand conflict, support for locally led arrangements to maintain services, and a mechanism to collect data on attacks systematically.
Russell said repairs cannot replace the protection of water facilities required under international humanitarian law.
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