UNICEF warns Lebanon of dwindling water system amid economic collapse

UNICEF has warned Lebanon that its dwindling water system is on verge of a dreaded collapse amid crunched economy and shortages of basic goods. UNICEF said, “More than 4 million people, including 1 million refugees, are at immediate risk of losing access to safe water in Lebanon.”

 UNICEF’s representative in Beirut, Yukie Mokuo said, “A loss of access to the public water supply could force households to make extremely difficult decisions regarding their basic water, sanitation and hygiene needs.”

 Experts believe that collapsing economy and rapidly falling currency in Lebanon is the reason for the water system’s inefficient functioning. This was added by a shortage of funding, fuel, and supplies of chlorine required for water treatment. According to officials, the water sector was “unable to function due to the dollarized maintenance costs, water loss, the parallel collapse of the power grid, and the threat of rising fuel costs.”

 UNICEF has warned that incoming four to six weeks the country’s water pumping might cease to function. This can lead to rising in water costs by almost 200 percent in just a month for securing water from private suppliers. Diesel supplies in the country have already reached the lowest.

 People across the country are coming down on streets protesting and blocking the key roads against rising diesel prices. This can impact health care services as well as food and goods supplies. Generator owners in Greater Beirut has announced that “they will shut down their generators until they can secure diesel fuel at the official price.”

 Activists in the country have taken to social media sharing how “Lebanese life has returned to the Stone Age”.

Since 2019 end Lebanon is experiencing collapsing economy like never before. World Bank has called it “among the worst in the world since the mid-19th century.” Over half of the country’s population is currently living below the poverty line.

 Imposed sanctions on the country followed the catastrophic blast at Beirut port due to improper storage of explosive chemical ammonium nitrate. The situation became even more chaotic after the entire government resigned in the blast aftermath. Inability to form a stable government for almost a year that can bring in reforms to attract the international community to help Lebanon is only aggravating the current dire situation.

 The Directorate General of Oil affiliated to the Ministry of Energy urged fuel companies on Friday to “allocate quantities of their diesel stocks to meet the needs of hospitals to prevent any humanitarian disaster.” The directorate also urged Central Bank to speed up the opening of diesel oil credits as diesel and gasoline levels are rapidly reaching red zones.