The intense conflict at the end of January, which saw the city overrun by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, left many of the city’s two million residents without access to clean water, sanitation or power. A third of them have only recently been displaced.

The humanitarian crisis sparked by the fighting between Congolese Government forces, M23 and other armed factions – who have fuelled instability in the restive east for decades – has raised two pressing needs, says UNICEF.

Hundreds of thousands of people are now moving from previous displacement sites around Goma to areas of return with only limited water and sanitation services.

“Clean water is a lifeline. With ongoing cholera and mpox epidemics in eastern DRC, children and families need safe water now more than ever to protect themselves and prevent a deeper health crisis,” said Jean Francois Basse, UNICEF's acting Representative in DRC.

Deadlier risk than violence

“Around the world, children in protracted conflicts are three times more likely to die from water-related diseases than violence. Re-establishing essential services needs to be prioritised, or we risk even more lives.”

Despite the deteriorating security situation, UNICEF responded immediately by trucking water to three health facilities, including the Virunga General Referral Hospital, which treated around 3,000 injured patients.

Medical kits to treat 50,000 people were also distributed to health centres overwhelmed with patients.

Around 700,000 people now have daily access to water through the REGIDESO water utility company after UNICEF and the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, provided 77,000 litres of fuel, enabling the five main pumping stations to restart after they had shut down due to powerline cuts.

On the east side of Goma, an additional 33,000 people are receiving water through a UNICEF-constructed water network in the Bushara-Kayarutshiyna area.

Cholera cases tick up

However, many still rely on untreated supplies directly from Lake Kivu. UNICEF and partners have set up more than 50 chlorine sites along the coast to treat lake water, supplying 56,000 people daily in a bid to limit the spread of cholera.

“We are already seeing worrying signs of a rise in cholera cases, closely tied to increased displacement and people relying on unclean water. While gathering data is difficult in these challenging circumstances, with the main rainy season approaching, we’re extremely worried about an explosion in cases,” said Mr. Basse.

Over the last decade, cholera has killed over 5,500 people in the DRC, where only 43 per cent of the population has access to at least a basic water service, and only 15 per cent has access to basic sanitation.

In Goma, the conflict has made a dire situation worse. Even before the current escalation, approximately 700,000 displaced people lived in camps with dangerously inadequate access to water, sanitation and hygiene, exposing children to diseases and increasing risks of gender-based violence for women and girls collecting water and firewood.

In line with the Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure, UNICEF is calling on all parties to the conflict to safeguard water supplies.