Over 1.6M children risk losing access to water in Yemen's Taiz amid fighting: UN
- UN agencies warn that more than 250,000 people have been displaced across Yemen as hospitals face critical fuel shortages and cholera cases surge
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- UN agencies warn that more than 250,000 people have been displaced across Yemen as hospitals face critical fuel shortages and cholera cases surge
By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) - More than 1.6 million children in Yemen's Taiz governorate risk losing access to water as fighting and fuel shortages threaten critical services, UN agencies warned Tuesday.
UNICEF Representative in Yemen Akhil Iyer told reporters in Geneva that water systems serving an estimated 3 million people, including at least 1.6 million children, were at risk as fighting disrupted critical supply routes.
"Diesel shortages threaten to bring water pumps to a halt, while the cost of trucked water has tripled since this latest escalation," Iyer said.
He said more than 168,000 children had been screened for malnutrition in Taiz this year, with over 52,000 found to be acutely malnourished, nearly one in three screened.
"For children in Taiz, hunger, unsafe water and disease are becoming an increasingly dangerous combination," he warned.
UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said displacement across Yemen exceeded 250,000 people as of Oct. 17, up from nearly 213,000 previously reported.
Taiz accounted for 76% of departures and hosted 52% of newly displaced people, he told reporters in Geneva.
According to UNHCR, shelter was the most frequently cited need among newly displaced families, followed by food and cash assistance.
The agency said it assessed 12,283 displaced households across Abyan, Aden, Marib, Lahj and Taiz, including some 2,050 households without shelter.
- Hospitals face critical shortages
World Health Organization spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic warned that 12 hospitals in Taiz have approximately four days of fuel remaining, while 115 of 127 essential medicines had supplies sufficient for about one week or less.
The agency said Yemen's humanitarian and health crisis was escalating rapidly, with Taiz's health system at "critical risk."
Jasarevic said 1,110 dialysis patients, 192 intensive care patients and 154 newborns in incubators depended on uninterrupted hospital services.
Weekly suspected cholera cases also surged from 221 to 683 between epidemiological weeks 36 and 40, according to the World Health Organization.
Jasarevic said only $3.8 million of the $31 million required for a 90-day emergency response had been secured, leaving a funding gap of $27.2 million.
UN agencies urged all parties to protect civilians, safeguard water and health facilities, and ensure safe humanitarian access to prevent further deterioration.
Beyza Binnur Dönmez