SPECIAL REPORT: WATER UNDER SIEGE IN IRAQ
US/UK Military Forces Risk Committing War Crimes by Depriving Civilians of Safe Water
Water is fundamental to life. No one can survive without sufficient water for drinking, cooking, washing, and general hygiene. For this reason, international law recognizes access to safe water as a basic human right—“indispensable for leading a life in human dignity”—as well as an integral component of the rights to life, health, and housing.[8]
The current invasion ofIraqby theUnited States,United Kingdom, andAustraliaposes a grave threat to the right to water ofIraq’s 24 million inhabitants, almost half of them children under the age of 15.[9] Anglo-American military forces have already laid siege to numerous urban centers in southern and centralIraq, disrupting electrical, water and sanitations systems that sustain millions of civilians.[10] With the approach of summer, when temperatures in this region regularly exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit,[11] the likelihood of water-borne disease epidemics is alarmingly high.[12]
