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UNHCR: Yemen needs clean water to protect against disease 

March 24, 2020 at 9:54 am

Yemeni people fill plastic barrels with clean water, distributed by charities, in Sana’a, Yemen on 1 April 2019 [Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency]

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called to support the provision of clean water in Yemen in order to protect the country’s population from the spread of diseases including coronavirus.

The UN refugee agency explained on Twitter that over two-thirds of people in Yemen need “support in water services,” adding that “displaced people living in hosting sites spend hours a day collecting water.”

READ: Saudi airlifted critical supplies to Yemen to fight coronavirus

“Access to clean and safe water is crucial and it protects from the spread of diseases like cholera and COVID-19,” it added.

As of Sunday noon, Yemen had not reported any cases of coronavirus, whether in government-controlled areas or Houthi-controlled areas.