Statement

Statement by Hanaa Singer, UNICEF Representative in Syria on airstrikes against the Al-Khafsa water treatment facility in Aleppo

DAMASCUS, Syria, 1 December 2015 - “In Syria, the rules of war, including those meant to protect vital civilian infrastructure, continue to be broken on a daily basis.

"The air-strike which reportedly hit al-Khafseh water treatment plant in the northern city of Aleppo last Thursday is a particularly alarming example.

“The bombing caused severe damage and cut off piped water supplies on which approximately 3.5 million people depend. Water pumping operations have since been partially restored, but more than 1.4 million people in rural Aleppo continue to suffer interruptions to their supply.

“The al-Khafseh facility is one of the most important in Syria, producing an average of 18 million litres of drinking water daily. Drawing raw water from the Euphrates River, it is the sole source of drinking water for four million people across Aleppo governorate.

“International Humanitarian Law protects civilian infrastructure and the right of civilians to access services. Accordingly, UNICEF calls once again on all parties to the conflict to end all attacks on water facilities, treatment systems, pipelines, infrastructure and personnel who repair water supply installations”.



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For further information:

Juliette Touma, jtouma@unicef.org, +962-79-867-4628

