Nepal floods leave 22,000 children without safe water: UNICEF

More than a week after flash floods struck the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river basin in Nepal, at least 22,000 children urgently need safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene support, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday. Water systems have been damaged across affected districts, while toilets and other sanitation facilities have been damaged or destroyed, raising the risk of waterborne and infectious diseases. “Every parent in these districts is now making the same calculation several times a day,” said Alice Akunga, UNICEF Representative in Nepal. “Where can I get water, and is it safe to give to my child?”Crowded living conditionsAffected families are now living with host communities or in holding centres— crowded spaces that make it difficult to maintain safe hygiene practices.This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted how flooding, displacement, overcrowding and stagnant water can increase the risk of communicable diseases such as dengue and scrub typhus.“The risk of waterborne disease increases rapidly in these conditions, but it is preventable,” Ms. Akunga insisted.Supplies reach communitiesUNICEF has dispatched water, sanitation and hygi...