UNICEF East Ukraine fighting imperils water access for 750,00 children.
At least 750,000 children in eastern Ukraine are at imminent risk of losing access to safe water supplies after a surge in fighting between the government and separatist rebels, a UN report said Friday.
Approximately 400,000 people, including 104,000 children, had their drinking water cut off for four days this week after two filtration stations for the regional pipeline were destroyed by shelling, the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said.
Urgent repairs were completed only Thursday evening, it added.
"Nearly three million people in eastern Ukraine rely on water infrastructure that is now in the line of fire," said Afshan Khan, the agency’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia.
"We expect more families will be cut off from safe drinking water, putting children at severe risk of disease and other dangers."
The latest clashes between government troops and Russia-backed rebels reportedly killed ten Ukrainian soldiers over the past week, while schools, hospitals and basic infrastructure were seriously damaged.
Children who lose access to clean drinking water can quickly contract water-borne diseases including diarrhoea, UNICEF warned.
"All sides of the conflict must allow urgent repairs when water sources are destroyed and immediately stop the indiscriminate shelling of vital civilian infrastructure," Khan said.
More than 10,000 people have died and almost 24,000 have been injured since the pro-Russian insurgency began in April 2014, while 3.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and more than 1.5 million have been forced from their homes.

Ukraine: 750,000 children at risk of losing access to safe drinking water, warns UN.
16 June 2017 – With the recent escalation of hostilities damaging vital water infrastructure in eastern Ukraine, at least 750,000 children are at imminent risk of being cut off from safe drinking water, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned today.
“Nearly three million people in eastern Ukraine rely on water infrastructure that is now in the line of fire,” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, noting that more families are expected to be cut off from safe drinking water, putting children at severe risk of disease and other dangers.
About 400,000 people, including 104,000 children, had their drinking water cut off for four days this week after two filtration stations for the South Donbass Water pipeline were destroyed by shelling.
Urgent repairs were completed yesterday evening.
In Donetsk, power lines providing electricity to the city’s water filtration station were damaged earlier this month, threatening more than 1 million people’s access to safe water.
Girls and boys having to fetch water from alternative sources, or who are forced to leave their homes due to disruptions to safe water supplies, face dangers from ongoing fighting and other forms of abuse.
“All sides of the conflict must allow urgent repairs when water sources are destroyed and immediately stop the indiscriminate shelling of vital civilian infrastructure,” said Ms. Khan.
Read more on: Conflict in Ukraine enters fourth year ‘with no end in sight’ – UN report UNICEF has provided access to safe drinking water to more than 1.5 million people in Government and non-Government-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine.
In 2017, UNICEF is appealing for $31.3 million to provide health and nutrition support, education, clean water, hygiene and sanitation as well as protection for children and families affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine: 750,000 children at risk of losing access to safe drinking water, warns UN.
16 June 2017 – With the recent escalation of hostilities damaging vital water infrastructure in eastern Ukraine, at least 750,000 children are at imminent risk of being cut off from safe drinking water, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned today.
“Nearly three million people in eastern Ukraine rely on water infrastructure that is now in the line of fire,” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, noting that more families are expected to be cut off from safe drinking water, putting children at severe risk of disease and other dangers.
About 400,000 people, including 104,000 children, had their drinking water cut off for four days this week after two filtration stations for the South Donbass Water pipeline were destroyed by shelling.
Urgent repairs were completed yesterday evening.
In Donetsk, power lines providing electricity to the city’s water filtration station were damaged earlier this month, threatening more than 1 million people’s access to safe water.
Girls and boys having to fetch water from alternative sources, or who are forced to leave their homes due to disruptions to safe water supplies, face dangers from ongoing fighting and other forms of abuse.
“All sides of the conflict must allow urgent repairs when water sources are destroyed and immediately stop the indiscriminate shelling of vital civilian infrastructure,” said Ms. Khan.
Read more on: Conflict in Ukraine enters fourth year ‘with no end in sight’ – UN report UNICEF has provided access to safe drinking water to more than 1.5 million people in Government and non-Government-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine.
In 2017, UNICEF is appealing for $31.3 million to provide health and nutrition support, education, clean water, hygiene and sanitation as well as protection for children and families affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

He warned the group that by 2050, we won’t have enough fresh water for the people who need it.
The UN, and other global organizations, have been warning us of water shortages by 2050 for years — if not decades.
Among other statements, then-UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon warned of water shortages in 2050 and the risk of conflict in November 2016.
In 2010, the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) called for lowering consumption of meat and dairy to protect future water reserves, stating that the population of nine billion people expected in 2050 cannot eat the way we do now and have enough water for everyone.
A full 16 years ago, in 2001, the UN Population Fund warned that the world will begin to run out of fresh water by 2050, and UNFPA’s World Population Report from 1992 also warns of water shortages by 2050.
Water shortages bring health risks beyond the danger of violent conflict over water resources.
In addition to conflict and hunger, water shortages bring disease.
Fairer, more equitable cooperation between countries would reduce the number of people in poor countries left without access to clean water.
This makes more of our existing water supplies available for human use like bathing and drinking.
It’s a rare global health problem that has an obvious individual response, but global water scarcity is one of them.

East Ukraine fighting imperils water access for 750,00. children: UN kiev, Jun 16 At least 750,000 children in eastern ukraine are at imminent risk of losing access to safe water supplies after a surge in fighting between the government and separatist rebels, a UN report said today.
Approximately 400,000 people, including 104,000 children, had their drinking water cut off for four days this week after two filtration stations for the regional pipeline were destroyed by shelling, the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said.
Urgent repairs were completed only Thursday evening, it added.
"Nearly three million people in eastern Ukraine rely on water infrastructure that is now in the line of fire," said Afshan Khan, the agency’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia.
"We expect more families will be cut off from safe drinking water, putting children at severe risk of disease and other dangers."
The latest clashes between government troops and Russia- backed rebels reportedly killed ten Ukrainian soldiers over the past week, while schools, hospitals and basic infrastructure were seriously damaged.
In the rebels’ de facto capital of Donetsk, power lines serving the city’s water filtration station were hit earlier this month, threatening access to clean water for more than one million people, the report said.
Children who lose access to clean drinking water can quickly contract water-borne diseases including diarrhoea, UNICEF warned.
"All sides of the conflict must allow urgent repairs when water sources are destroyed and immediately stop the indiscriminate shelling of vital civilian infrastructure," Khan said.
More than 10,000 people have died and almost 24,000 have been injured since the pro-Russian insurgency began in April 2014, while 3.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and more than 1.

UN relief chief voices concern over people without water access in Ukraine.
NEW YORK, June 14 (KUNA) — UN Relief Chief appealed to all parties to the conflict in Ukraine to immediately ensure a prolonged cessation of hostilities to allow critical repair and maintenance to restore water supply.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien said he is deeply concerned for the well-being of some 400,000 people on both sides of the ‘contact line’ in the Donetska Oblast of eastern Ukraine, who have been without access to safe drinking water for four days due to shelling of the First Lift Pumping Station of the South Donbass Water Pipeline on June 11.
"The water supply to another 700,000 people is also hanging in the balance," he said.
According to the statement, emergency services and aid agencies are working together to provide water to affected communities by any means possible.
O’Brien is extremely concerned about possible outbreaks of water-borne diseases and the effect that water cuts will have on health facilities in the area.
He called for the need for urgent and permanent repairs to the pumping station is paramount.
(end) mao.mb

Climate Change, Combating Desertification and Drought, Environment, Featured, Food & Agriculture, Headlines, Humanitarian Emergencies, IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse, Middle East & North Africa, Population, Poverty & SDGs, Projects, TerraViva United Nations, Water & Sanitation This story is part of special IPS coverage of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, observed on June 17.
This quick conclusion does not come out of the blue–the MENA region, which is home to around 400 million people, is one of the world’s most impacted areas by drought and fast advancing desertification.
What Desertification Is All About?
Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas.
“These people include many of the world‘s poorest, most marginalized and politically weak citizens.” The World Day to Combat Desertification is a unique moment to remind everyone that land degradation neutrality (LDN) is achievable through problem solving, strong community involvement and co-operation at all levels,” according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
“Environmental degradation, political instability, food insecurity and poverty are causes of migration and development challenges.” In fact, the Bonn-based UNCCD secretariat timely reminds that in just 15 years, the number of international migrants worldwide has risen from 173 million in 2000 to 244 million in 2015.
By 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience absolute water scarcity, and two thirds of the world will be living under water-stressed conditions.
Meanwhile, UNCCD reports that the demand for water is expected to increase by 50 per cent by the year 2050.
“Drought and water scarcity are considered to be the most far-reaching of all natural disasters, causing short and long-term economic and ecological losses as well as significant secondary and tertiary impacts.” Ten Times Less Available Fresh Water Per capita availability of fresh water in the region is now 10 times less than the world average, the United Nations has recently warned.
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.

Climate Change, Combating Desertification and Drought, Editors’ Choice, Environment, Featured, Food & Agriculture, Headlines, Humanitarian Emergencies, IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse, Middle East & North Africa, Population, Poverty & SDGs, Projects, TerraViva United Nations, Water & Sanitation This story is part of special IPS coverage of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, observed on June 17.
This quick conclusion does not come out of the blue–the MENA region, which is home to around 400 million people, is one of the world’s most impacted areas by drought and fast advancing desertification.
What Desertification Is All About?
Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas.
“These people include many of the world‘s poorest, most marginalized and politically weak citizens.” The World Day to Combat Desertification is a unique moment to remind everyone that land degradation neutrality (LDN) is achievable through problem solving, strong community involvement and co-operation at all levels,” according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
“Environmental degradation, political instability, food insecurity and poverty are causes of migration and development challenges.” In fact, the Bonn-based UNCCD secretariat timely reminds that in just 15 years, the number of international migrants worldwide has risen from 173 million in 2000 to 244 million in 2015.
By 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience absolute water scarcity, and two thirds of the world will be living under water-stressed conditions.
Meanwhile, UNCCD reports that the demand for water is expected to increase by 50 per cent by the year 2050.
“Drought and water scarcity are considered to be the most far-reaching of all natural disasters, causing short and long-term economic and ecological losses as well as significant secondary and tertiary impacts.” Ten Times Less Available Fresh Water Per capita availability of fresh water in the region is now 10 times less than the world average, the United Nations has recently warned.
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.

9 June 2017 – Protracted fighting and unrest are swelling the ranks of displaced and hungry ins some parts of the world, even as large agricultural harvests in some regions are buoying global food supply conditions, according to a new report by the United Nations agriculture agency.
“Civil conflict continues to be a main driver of food insecurity, having triggered famine conditions in South Sudan and put populations in Yemen and northern Nigeria at high risk of localized famine,” said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on today’s release its Crop Prospects and Food Situation report.
Refugees from civil strife in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Central African Republic are putting additional pressure on local food supplies in host communities.
In Somalia, about 3.2 million people need food and agricultural emergency assistance, while in Yemen the figure is as high as 17 million.
According to FAO, 37 countries require external assistance for food, namely Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Iraq, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zimbabwe.
Southern Africa rebounds, East Africa is parched While worldwide cereal output is near record levels, production outcomes are mixed across the globe.
According to the report, South America is expected to post strong increases, led by Brazil and Argentina.
This should help to reduce food insecurity in countries, such as Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
However, at the start of the 2017 season, East Africa has suffered insufficient rainfall, armyworm infestations and local conflicts, leaving in the sub-region a record 26.5 million people in need humanitarian assistance.
The report warns that the situation could be aggravated further as the lean season peaks, saying, “An estimated 7.8 million people are food insecure in Ethiopia, where drought has dented crop and pasture output in southern regions.” Moreover, cereal domestic prices reached exceptionally high levels in May, with the local cost of maize jumping by as much as 65 per cent this year in parts of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

A drive towards change and innovation has stayed with me.
University or straight into work?
Ambition, combined with persistence and hard work.
A magic wand, to persuade politicians to govern with the objective of promoting and fulfilling human rights, particularly human rights to water and sanitation.
My extravagance is to be able to turn on a tap and drink as much water as I like.
There are many people out there working to secure human rights.
I am happy everywhere, which is fortunate, as I travel a lot for my work.
What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?
Professionally, I have had the opportunity to engage in global discussions on human-rights violations and on human rights to water and sanitation.
I am not easily frustrated but there are times I feel that people are not taking me seriously.