The provision of life-saving water by the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to 700,000 people daily highlights the need for improved aid support to avert humanitarian disaster in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Development Diaries reports that the humanitarian situation in Goma has reached a critical point as the recent escalation of conflict has left over two million residents, including 364,000 children, without access to clean water, sanitation, and electricity.
The international response, led by UNICEF and its partners, is commendable, but the country’s government needs to do much more to avert a large-scale health disaster.
Access to clean water is not just a necessity; it is a matter of life and death. In conflict zones, children are three times more likely to die from waterborne diseases than from violence itself.
Goma is already grappling with cholera and mpox epidemics, and the lack of clean water significantly increases the risk of outbreaks spiraling out of control.
Over the last ten years, cholera has killed more than 5,500 people in the DRC, where only 43 percent of its population has access to at least a basic water service, and only 15 percent has access to basic sanitation services.
‘Clean water is a lifeline. With ongoing cholera and mpox epidemics in eastern DRC, children and families need safe water now more than ever to protect themselves and prevent a deeper health crisis’, UNICEF’s acting representative in the DRC, Jean Francois Basse, said in a statement.
In Goma, the conflict has made a dire situation worse. Even before the current escalation, approximately 700,000 displaced people lived in camps with dangerously inadequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene, exposing children to diseases and increasing risks of gender-based violence for women and girls collecting water and firewood.
Women and girls face increased risks of violence when collecting water.
Therefore, the expansion of access to safe water within displacement camps and ensuring gender-sensitive policies in crisis response must be prioritised, especially as the rainy season is approaching.
Development Diaries calls on the government of the DRC to immediately expand water treatment facilities and medical supply distribution in the country.
We also urge the government and its development partners to prioritise funding for mobile health units and emergency medical aid.
Photo source: MSF
