Sudanese refugee women at a water point in Breidjing camp, eastern Chad. © UNHCR/H.Caux

Clean drinking water is a fundamental requirement, like shelter, for refugees all over the world. UNHCR is meeting this need, with help from donors worldwide. In Nepal’s seven Bhutanese refugee camps, for example, UNHCR is organizing a campaign to clean water containers and water taps throughout the camps.

In Sierra Leone, UNHCR and partner agencies have provided 37 pump wells to more than 20 villages in Kono district. Such wells have also been built in town hospitals, police barracks and in other local communities. Prior to these wells, refugees and locals would fetch their water from open wells. “Because of the milky colour of the water,we used to invoke the name of the Lord and close our eyes before drinking the water” said Chief Kamara, explaining the local belief that this would protect them from disease and evil. This is not ignorance, it is necessity.

Providing adequate water for refugees goes beyond assuring the quantity and quality of water supplies – the way in which water is provided is also crucial. Refugees often have to spend hours every day collecting water. School children skip classes to help, and families are more likely to use water from unsafe sources to save time. Fulfilling the basic task of getting water can lead to terrible social costs, including increased risk of sexual assault when women seek out water at unguarded locations, and higher rates of disease due to consumption of dirty water.

UNHCR is making important progress in several of the most challenging operations around the world. Water is one of the key areas identified by the agency for rehabilitation in south Sudan, a region emerging from decades of conflict and where some 500,000 refugees and an estimated 4 million displaced people could return home beginning this year. UNHCR deployed water and sanitation experts as part of the emergency team sent to south Sudan in late February to begin laying the groundwork for refugee return to a region where infrastructure and basic services are practically non-existent. Already, there is a project to rehabilitate 85 boreholes in Equatoria province, one of the main areas where refugees are expected to return.

Water supply in areas where refugee camps are established is often precarious. Land for refugee camps is typically the land where local people do not live, often because of the lack of available water. It is an uphill battle to continue to meet the needs, particularly over the longer term. However, with your help, the UN Refugee Agency will continue to address water requirements as a basic human right to which all refugees and others displaced by violence and persecution are entitled.

Ensuring Clean Water & Sanitation for Refugees
Water is life. It is more vital to human survival than food or any other commodity. This PDF document details UNHCR's efforts to secure clean drinking water for refugees, how we use our funding to accomplish this goald, and most importantly - how you can help.
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