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A Matter of Survival

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

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