Conflicts around the world are once again placing vital water infrastructure at risk, raising fears that millions of civilians could be left without access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
Research from the Pacific Institute's Water Conflict Chronology has documented thousands of incidents where water systems or resources have been targeted, damaged or used as part of conflict. Analysis released in November 2025 shows a sharp rise in violence linked to water resources in recent years. [1]
BILLINGSHURST, England, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hydrachem, a British manufacturer of water purification tablets used during humanitarian crises, has warned that the world risks repeating past failures that led to waterborne disease outbreaks during conflict.
Those failures include the cholera outbreak during the Yemeni civil war and repeated disruptions to water supplies during the Syrian civil war.
The warning comes amid growing concerns over damage to electricity and water systems in conflict-affected regions. Such attacks risk disrupting clean water supplies for civilians, despite the protections afforded to essential infrastructure under International Humanitarian Law.
Nicholas Barbieri, Commercial Director at Hydrachem, commented:
"We have seen this before. When water systems fail during conflict, disease follows. When sanitation collapses, families are forced to flee. These are not potential risks; they are the documented consequences of conflicts where water infrastructure has been compromised.
"Clean water is the foundation of public health. Hospitals cannot function without it. Children cannot survive without it. If we allow water systems to fail, we create a second wave of crisis that lasts long after the fighting stops."
Nicholas Barbieri continued:
"When treatment plants are damaged, pumping stations lose power or distribution networks fail, the result is often rapid outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and dysentery, alongside displacement and public health emergencies."
Hydrachem says water infrastructure must be treated with the same urgency as medical facilities, and the company is urging governments and international bodies to act now to safeguard water and sanitation systems before the consequences become irreversible.
"Fresh water is vital for human survival," Nicholas Barbieri concluded. "It must also be a catalyst for action. If we ignore the lessons of history, we will repeat them, and communities will pay the price."
Notes to Editor:
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