According to Unicef, there are 190 million children in ten African countries whose lives are in danger due to the water crisis.
The organization raises the alarm on the eve of the United Nations conference on water to be held in New York from 22 to 24 March and calls on the world's greats "urgent investment in climate-resilient water and sanitation services to protect children" .
According to Unicef analysis, the triple threat is most serious in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Somalia, making West and Central Africa one of the regions with the greatest water insecurity and climate impact on the world. It should be added that many of the most affected countries, particularly in the Sahel, are also grappling with instability and armed conflicts, which further aggravate children's access to drinking water and sanitation.
"Africa is facing a water catastrophe," said Unicef Program Director Sanjay Wijesekera. As climate and water-related shocks are intensifying globally, nowhere else in the world are the risks escalating so quickly for children. Devastating storms, floods and historic droughts are already destroying structures and homes, contaminating water resources, creating hunger crises and spreading disease. But as difficult as current conditions are, without urgent action the future could be much bleaker."
According to Unicef data, in the 10 most affected countries, almost a third of children do not have access to at least basic water services at home and two thirds do not have basic sanitation (bathrooms). As a result, these states are also the ones with the highest burden of child deaths from diseases caused by inadequate water and sanitation services.
Globally, more than 1,000 children under five die every day from water and sanitation-related illnesses, and about 2 in 5 live in these 10 most at-risk countries.
(Unioneonline/ss)
