![[Lebanon] This dirty reservoir has become the main supply of water for residents. [Date picture taken: 08/21/2006]](https://assets.thenewhumanitarian.org/s3fs-public/styles/responsive_large_2x/public/images/200682236.jpg.webp?itok=qgIuSXGu "Drinking water severely lacking")
Pointing towards a pond of stagnant dirty water near his town square, 70-year-old Hajj Abu Hamid said this was now his main source of drinking water.
“It was all we had throughout the war, and though it was completely unsanitary, it helped us to survive,” Abu Hamid told IRIN in southern Lebanon. “We never had a problem with water before the war.”
Water and sanitation systems were badly damaged in Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon during the recent conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah militants. “The water system has been totally destroyed,” Abu Hamid said. “Even now that the war is over, here in Aitaroun we are still facing a shortage of water.”
With relief efforts underway in southern Lebanon, the UN’s Children’s Fund (Unicef) said in a statement on Tuesday that the destruction of water infrastructure was a major obstacle to helping people return home.
“I have never seen destruction like this,” said Unicef water and sanitation specialist Branislav Jekic in the statement.
“Wherever we go, we ask people what they need most and the answer is always the same: water.”
“People want to move back to their communities. But whether they stay or not will depend on the availability of water.”
In an assessment carried out over the past few days, Unicef said in 10 out of 12 war-affected communities it looked at, underground pipes and other water supply infrastructure, had been seriously damaged or destroyed.
In the southern city of Tyre, water and sanitation systems in 42 out of 70 villages are reported to have been damaged.
“This week, forty rubber water bladders, each with a capacity of 5,000 litres, are being delivered to Nabatiyeh [80 km south of the capital] and villages along the Israeli border,” the Unicef press release said.
“Partner NGOs Islamic Relief and Mercy Corps will deliver and install the tanks, and will also be responsible for ensuring the bladders are kept replenished,” Unicef said.
SA/SZ/ED/CB
“It was all we had throughout the war, and though it was completely unsanitary, it helped us to survive,” Abu Hamid told IRIN in southern Lebanon. “We never had a problem with water before the war.”
Water and sanitation systems were badly damaged in Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon during the recent conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah militants. “The water system has been totally destroyed,” Abu Hamid said. “Even now that the war is over, here in Aitaroun we are still facing a shortage of water.”
With relief efforts underway in southern Lebanon, the UN’s Children’s Fund (Unicef) said in a statement on Tuesday that the destruction of water infrastructure was a major obstacle to helping people return home.
“I have never seen destruction like this,” said Unicef water and sanitation specialist Branislav Jekic in the statement.
“Wherever we go, we ask people what they need most and the answer is always the same: water.”
“People want to move back to their communities. But whether they stay or not will depend on the availability of water.”
In an assessment carried out over the past few days, Unicef said in 10 out of 12 war-affected communities it looked at, underground pipes and other water supply infrastructure, had been seriously damaged or destroyed.
In the southern city of Tyre, water and sanitation systems in 42 out of 70 villages are reported to have been damaged.
“This week, forty rubber water bladders, each with a capacity of 5,000 litres, are being delivered to Nabatiyeh [80 km south of the capital] and villages along the Israeli border,” the Unicef press release said.
“Partner NGOs Islamic Relief and Mercy Corps will deliver and install the tanks, and will also be responsible for ensuring the bladders are kept replenished,” Unicef said.
SA/SZ/ED/CB
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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