ICC Note: Citizens in Mosul are now facing a new catastrophic threat with widespread water shortages across the city. Up to 500k civilians do not have access to clean drinking water, not to mention a sever lack in food and electricity. The water pipelines were destroyed during the ongoing battle to reclaim the city that has trapped thousands inside.

12/01/2016 Iraq (Daily Sabah): Up to 500,000 civilians in Mosul are facing a “catastrophic” drinking water shortage, the UN warned, as coalition forces advance against Daesh in the city.

Already suffering from a severe lack of food and electricity, civilians in Iraq’s second city are now also running out of drinkable water, said Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq.

“Nearly half a million civilians, already struggling to feed themselves day to day, are now without access to clean drinking water. The impact on children, women and families will be catastrophic,” Grande said Wednesday.

Last month, The Iraqi army, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, launched a much-anticipated offensive to retake Mosul, which was overrun by Daesh in 2014.

Weeks of fighting have seen the Iraqi forces surround the city and break into its eastern neighbourhoods, where there have been heavy street-to-street battles with the terrorists.

The battle for Mosul has destroyed a major water pipeline, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said, adding that the break was located in an inaccessible part of the city controlled by Daesh.

“Unless running water is restored in the next days, civilians will be forced to resort to unsafe water sources, exposing children to the risk of waterborne diseases such as severe diarrhoea and the threat of malnutrition,” it said.

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