The United Nations, on Wednesday said that around 74 million in the water-scarce Arab region are at risk of contracting COVID-19 due to lack of access to handwashing facilities.
”Washing hands with water and soap is seen as the best prevention against the potentially fatal disease.
“This simple act proves to be difficult in a region where 74 million people lack access to a basic handwashing facility,” the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) said in a report.
Rola Dashti, ESCWA Executive Secretary stated that about 87 million people in the region also lack access to an improved drinking water source in their homes.
”The shortage exposes them to a greater risk of contagion as they are forced to collect water daily from a public source.
“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.
“In the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, only 1 in 10 households has access to clean water.
“An estimated 26 million refugees and internally displaced persons in the region are also at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19.
”Access to water should not be used as a ‘weapon of war,’” she said.
Dashti further stated that several Arab countries, including Syria and Yemen were in the grip of years-long feuds that have roiled their economies and health facilities.
