UN warns 1.6M children in Yemen's Taiz risk losing water access

UNICEF's representative in Yemen warned Tuesday that water systems serving approximately 3 million people in Taiz governorate — including at least 1.6 million children — risk imminent shutdown as fighting disrupts supply routes and diesel shortages threaten to halt pumps across the conflict-hit region.

Water and nutrition crisis

Akhil Iyer told reporters in Geneva that diesel shortages threaten to bring water pumps to a halt, while the cost of trucked water has tripled since the latest escalation began. "Diesel shortages threaten to bring water pumps to a halt, while the cost of trucked water has tripled since this latest escalation," Iyer said. He noted that more than 168,000 children had been screened for malnutrition in Taiz this year, with over 52,000 found to be acutely malnourished — nearly one in three screened — highlighting the compounding effects of infrastructure collapse on child health.

Iyer warned that the combination of hunger, unsafe water and disease poses mounting dangers for children in the governorate. "For children in Taiz, hunger, unsafe water and disease are becoming an increasingly dangerous combination," he said, adding that the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate amid ongoing hostilities and restricted access to basic services.

Displacement surges

UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said displacement across Yemen exceeded 250,000 people as of October 17, marking a significant increase from the nearly 213,000 previously reported. Taiz accounted for 76% of departures and hosted 52% of newly displaced people, he told reporters in Geneva, with shelter cited as the most pressing need among affected families followed by food and cash assistance.

The refugee agency assessed 12,283 displaced households across Abyan, Aden, Marib, Lahj and Taiz, finding approximately 2,050 households without adequate shelter. UNHCR reported that food and cash assistance followed as priority needs among displaced populations struggling to survive amid the escalating conflict and disrupted supply chains.

Health system at 'critical risk'

World Health Organization spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic warned that 12 hospitals in Taiz have approximately four days of fuel remaining, while 115 of 127 essential medicines have supplies sufficient for about one week or less. The agency said Yemen's humanitarian and health crisis was escalating rapidly, with Taiz's health system at "critical risk" as 1,110 dialysis patients, 192 intensive care patients and 154 newborns in incubators depend on uninterrupted services to survive.

Weekly suspected cholera cases surged from 221 to 683 between epidemiological weeks 36 and 40, according to WHO data. Jasarevic noted that only $3.8 million of the $31 million required for a 90-day emergency response had been secured, leaving a funding gap of $27.2 million as UN agencies urged all parties to protect civilians and safeguard water and health facilities.