Page 29 - report_A Matter of Survival

A Matter of Survival

Daesh or the “Islamic State” seized large territories in Syria in towns and villages, mostly in countries neighboring the
and Iraq. In the course of their military advances, the armed armed conflicts.
groups seized the Tabqa, Tishrin, Mosul and Fallujah dams on
the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and repeatedly used water as a The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
weapon of war, including against civilian populations. other agencies, and NGOs work to ensure that refugees have
access to water and sanitation services both inside and outside
Daesh has used water as a weapon in three ways: withholding of camps, including in urban settings. Water, Sanitation and
water, flooding and contaminating water supplies. For example, Hygiene (WASH) services are provided not only for emergency
after capturing the Fallujah Dam in early 2014, Daesh first closed situations but also to ensure that refugees living in protracted
the floodgates to deprive the downstream area of water, and refugee situations have long term access to water and sanitation.
then reopened them and flooded large areas downstream. In
doing so, it caused significant harm to farmland, livestock and The challenges to WASH include military targeting of water points
infrastructure, harming the civilian population, with 12,000 by belligerents, camps that are difficult to reach, and the local
families displaced by the flood. impacts of the effects of climate change. Tensions in receiving
countries, such as competition for scarce water resources,
At the same time, Daesh has protected water resources and environmental degradation and water tariff inequalities since
infrastructure in the areas under its control to ensure reliable refugees receive water mainly free of charge while the local
water supply and electricity, and thus tried to legitimize its population has to pay for it, further complicate the situation.
presence there. Furthermore, the group also generated revenue
from water (and electricity) services provided in these areas. UNHCR believes that the right of refugees to work in host countries
Despite the fact that government forces, assisted by the anti- is a key instrument to enable the refugees to pay for water
terrorist coalition were able to regain control over a number of services, and is the means to empower and integrate them into
dams, the problem remains serious. host communities. However, it is precisely this right to work and
the ability to build the self-sustainability of refugees that is lacking
Another problem is that military conflicts, such as those in most situations, which further exacerbates tensions around
observed in the Middle East, are increasingly being fought in water. On the other hand, in situations where refugees have the
urban areas. In recent reports on Syria, water resources and right to work and to use land for agricultural use, they are able
installations were attacked by non-state actors and, according to earn an income, reduce dependence on humanitarian aid, and
to a UN report, at least on one occasion (the al–Feijeh water increase their capabilities to pay for the provision of services.
spring), by government forces as well.
A special need relates to situations in long-term refugee
The recent devastating outbreak of cholera in Yemen is largely settlements, where it is important to develop a good
a consequence of the destruction of water infrastructure by the information base regarding the hydrological characteristics and
parties in that armed conflict. environmental impacts of refugee settlements, both of which
need to be included in humanitarian planning.
Change this sentence into:
Since today’s migrations are increasingly caused by heavy rains,
In addition to drinking water and sanitation services, water floods, and water scarcity, it is encouraging that our level of
resources in cities are crucial for many essential services understanding about the interrelationship between water and
as well as for interconnected basic infrastructures. Water migration is improving. It is both possible and essential to
storage and delivery systems, pumping stations and water integrate these interactions in migration policies on the one
purification plants in cities usually depend on electricity. hand and in water governance on the other. In fact, ensuring that
Longer interruptions of electricity caused by an armed conflict migrating populations have water security and the human right
often result in interruptions in the water supply. This, in turn to water ought to become an integral part of water governance.
causes further hardships, especially for medical care and Local circumstances and community-based approaches need to
education. The centrality of water in these circumstances, in be given the appropriate priority in policy making. In this respect
environments where urban armed conflicts are taking place, – as in many others – good water governance represents an
requires efforts in strengthening the resilience of water important instrument in the prevention of violent conflict.
systems, an enormously difficult task to accomplish in a war,
particularly in situations where water infrastructure is linked
to objects that can be legitimate targets of attack. The Need to Strengthen International Support
to Humanitarian Organizations
Displacement
Reducing vulnerability and strengthening the resilience of
Around 65 million people are currently displaced around water systems, particularly in urban areas, represents a vital
the world, mostly as a result of war and persecution. In 2015 priority in contemporary armed conflicts, and is a fundamental
alone, an estimated 12.4 million people were newly displaced condition for improving the humanitarian situation of civilian
due to multiple conflicts. While a quarter of displaced people populations caught in the crossfire. International humanitarian
live in refugee camps, the overwhelming majority are hosted organizations, as well as the relevant UN agencies, aware of this,

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