As World Water Day approaches, two billion people still lack access to clean, safe water — and for many, the gap is growing. Rising conflict and climate change are destroying the vital water systems that communities rely on, leaving many with nowhere to turn.
In Lebanon, that reality is playing out in real time. One of the worst droughts in the country’s recent history, combined with escalating conflict, is forcing families to consume unsafe water — raising the risk of disease and malnutrition in communities already pushed to their limits.
Even before the latest escalation of hostilities, many communities in Lebanon were already struggling under the weight of overlapping crises. Years of conflict, economic collapse, and prolonged displacement have cost families their incomes, drained savings, and pushed many into debt, deepening poverty and insecurity nationwide.
Into that fragility came a drought. Average rainfall has fallen by almost half over the past year, pushing reservoirs to critically low levels and placing immense strain on water networks. The effects are widespread: a UNHCR report found that one-third of Lebanon’s population — more than 1.85 million people — live in drought-prone areas, while 44 per cent depend on costly trucked water.
Then, earlier this month, renewed hostilities made a dire situation worse. Bombardments across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa damaged water infrastructure and forced tens of thousands of families to flee their homes almost overnight. Lebanon’s government warns that up to one million people could be displaced if the situation continues.
For many families, this isn’t the first time they’ve fled. Those who survived earlier waves of displacement arrived at overcrowded shelters with almost nothing — only to find a support system already stretched past breaking point.
Lebanon’s water infrastructure relies heavily on fuel-powered pumps. In stable times, that’s manageable. In a conflict, it becomes a critical vulnerability.
Fuel grows scarce. Displaced families flood into areas that were already under strain. Demand surges. And an infrastructure too fragile to absorb the pressure simply fails.
When the public water system collapses, families have to turn somewhere else — usually private water trucking. But private water trucks are unregulated, inconsistent, and expensive. For a family already in debt with no income, paying for water can mean going without food.
With no alternatives, many families are left drinking contaminated water — exposing them to waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid. For children, the consequences can be deadly.
The connection between unsafe water and malnutrition isn’t always obvious — but it is direct.
Picture an overcrowded shelter: dozens of families sharing limited space, with no reliable clean water and few toilets. In those conditions, waterborne diseases like diarrhea and cholera spread fast. For children, this can quickly lead to malnutrition — even when food is available.
Contaminated water prevents the body from absorbing the nutrients children need to grow and stay healthy. That means malnutrition can set in — or worsen — even when children are being fed. It also means that therapeutic food programs, which Action Against Hunger uses to treat children with severe acute malnutrition, are far less effective if the child is drinking contaminated water at the same time.
Clean water isn’t just one part of an emergency response. It’s the foundation that makes recovery possible.
In humanitarian response, we talk about WASH: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. It might sound technical, but the idea is simple.
Water means making sure people have access to enough clean water to drink, cook, and wash — whether that’s through repairing a pump, delivering water by truck, or providing purification tablets.
Sanitation means safe, functioning toilets and waste disposal — because without these, human waste contaminates water sources and living areas, spreading disease through entire communities.
Hygiene means giving people the knowledge and supplies — soap, handwashing facilities, menstrual hygiene products — to protect themselves and their families, even in the most difficult conditions.
Together, these three things form the foundation of health in a crisis. Without them, diseases spread faster than any health team can respond. With them, communities can hold on until the situation stabilizes.
Our teams are working across Lebanon to reach vulnerable communities and displaced families with life-saving WASH support.
That means repairing and maintaining water systems so they stay functional despite the conflict. It means trucking in clean water to shelters that have lost access. It means distributing hygiene kits — including items like soap, toothbrushes, and menstrual hygiene products — so people can protect their health even in overcrowded conditions. And it means promoting hygiene practices in communities where the risk of disease outbreaks is highest.
Since the escalation of hostilities on March 2nd, we have:
Lebanon is a powerful reminder that hunger and water are not separate problems. You cannot treat malnutrition without clean water. You cannot keep people healthy without sanitation. And you cannot rebuild a community without first making sure its most basic needs are met.
When conflict and climate converge, water is often the first thing people lose — and the hardest thing to get back. Protecting water systems, even in the middle of a war, is one of the most effective things we can do to protect lives.
Your emergency donation can help us reach more communities in Lebanon and across the Middle East with clean water, food, hygiene services and healthcare.
Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 56 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
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