UN warns 74m Arabs lack access to handwashing facilities

More than 74 million people in the Arab world lack facilities to wash their hands including a sink and soap; putting them at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) said yesterday.

ESCWA said in its study that “while it has been agreed worldwide that hand-washing with soap and water is the best prevention against Covid-19 contagion, this simple act proves to be difficult in a region in which 74 million people lack access to a basic hand-washing facility.”

The study expected household demand for water to increase to four or five million cubic metres, noting that the situation is “further exacerbated by insufficient piped water supply in 10 of the 22 Arab countries”.

READ: The Gulf’s coronavirus challenges

ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti said: “it is urgent to ensure access to clean water and sanitation services to everyone everywhere, at no cost for those who cannot afford it, in order to avoid further spread of the coronavirus.”

The study expected 26 million refugees and internally displaced persons in the region to be at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 due to lack of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene services, pointing out that “in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, only 1 in 10 households has access to clean water”.

The study also warned that about 87 million people in the Arab region have to collect water from a public source; putting them at greater risk of catching COVID-19.

Coronavirus spreading in the Middle East – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]