Iraq: 7m children have no access to safe water, says UNICEF

Twenty years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the damage and violence resulting from the subsequent war and its aftermath have left more than seven million Iraqi children with “difficulty accessing safe water at school,” the National has reported. Citing a UNICEF official, the report added that the shortfall of adequate school buildings in the country could be as high as 10,000.

Around half of the country’s schools are without safe drinking water, the official told the UAE-based newspaper. “Moreover, one million children — and children make up nearly half of the country’s population — are in need of humanitarian assistance and about two million are out of school.”

Iraq has faced water supply issues for years. These have been compounded by climate change that affects the peace and security of the region.

“It is known that 37.9 per cent of children are living in poverty,” said the UNICEF official. “Half of them suffer from two or more deprivations of basic rights.”

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