Water Scarcity: 74m people risk contracting COVID-19 in Arab region - UN

The United Nation Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, ESCWA, has warned that no fewer than 74 million in the water-scarce Arab region are at risk of contracting Coronavirus COVID-19 due to lack of access to handwashing facilities.

It has been confirmed that, washing of hands with running water and soap is the best prevention against the dreaded virus.

According to the UN agency report, “This simple act proves to be difficult in a region where 74 million people lack access to a basic handwashing facility.

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“About 87 million people in the region also lack access to an improved drinking water source in their homes.

READ ALSO: COVID-19 Lockdown: Food, drink stores looted in South Africa

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“The shortage exposes them to a greater risk of contagion as they are forced to collect water daily from a public source.”

Meanwhile, ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti said that, “It is urgent to ensure access to clean water and sanitation services to everyone everywhere, at no cost for those who cannot afford it, in order to avoid further spread of the coronavirus.”

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She added that refugees and people living in the Arab region’s conflict areas are especially at risk.

“In the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, only 1 in 10 households has access to clean water,” the official said.

“An estimated 26 million refugees and internally displaced persons in the region are also at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19.”

Dashti added that access to water should not be used as a “weapon of war.”

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Several Arab countries including Syria and Yemen are in the grip of years-long feuds that have roiled their economies and health facilities.

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