Today, on World Water Day, Lebanon is in the midst of a dual emergency. A historic drought has reduced reservoir levels to a minimum, while a military escalation has displaced more than 1 million people since March 2nd and placed extreme pressure on already fragile water infrastructure. The water crisis that is not natural: it is the direct result of conflict, poverty and international neglect.
A Crisis Within a Crisis: Drought and Bombardment
Lebanon is experiencing the worst drought in decades. Reservoir levels are critically low, placing pressure on distribution networks and agricultural production, particularly in rural areas hosting displaced populations.
Almost the entire national water system depends on diesel-powered pumps: without fuel, water stops flowing.
The military escalation that began on March 2nd, 2026, has further worsened this already critical situation. Bombardments have struck infrastructure linked to the South Lebanon Water Establishment, including facilities in the Qennarit area, already damaged by previous airstrikes in January. Water systems that are still operational are reporting urgent fuel needs to sustain water distribution and wastewater management. Should these supplies run out, the consequences would be immediate: pumps stop, water supply ceases, and disease spreads.
Over 1 million Displaced People and Not Enough Water
In the first 24 hours following the escalation on March 2nd, around 29,000 people were forced to flee their homes. By March 19th, the number of registered displaced people had exceeded 1,049,328. They are hosted across 633 collective shelters, many of which are already operating beyond capacity. Hundreds of thousands more are living in informal arrangements: in cars, abandoned buildings and open spaces.
In these conditions, access to safe water is the primary emergency. Many newly displaced people are settling in areas already inhabited by Lebanese families displaced since 2024 and by Syrian refugees, further increasing pressure on water networks designed for much smaller populations. Families in conflict-affected areas are increasingly reliant on the private water trucking market, which is often unregulated and unaffordable for those who have lost everything.
In overcrowded shelters and informal settlements, deteriorating hygiene conditions exponentially increase the risk of diseases transmitted by contaminated water — such as cholera, dysentery and intestinal infections — with particularly severe effects on children under five, pregnant women, and people with chronic illnesses.
“Lebanese families are experiencing a crisis within a crisis. Many had not yet recovered from the 2024 war, the drought, and the economic collapse. Now they must start again from scratch, often without safe water, without enough food, in shelters at the limits of their capacity,” says Simone Garroni, General Director of Action Against Hunger Italy. “It is precisely at times like this that humanitarian presence makes a difference: our teams are on the ground to provide drinking water, food assistance and medical care to those most in need. We will continue to do so.”
Water as a System: Agriculture and Food Security
The water crisis does not only affect immediate human needs — it also affects farming. In Lebanon, bombardments have destroyed irrigation systems, agricultural equipment, and productive land. Farmers, already struggling with drought and rising input costs, now lack safe access to their fields and are forced to use water of uncertain quality, with negative consequences for both crops and health.
Even before the March escalation, the situation was already severe: between November 2025 and March 2026, an estimated 874,000 people in Lebanon were living at Crisis or Emergency levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above), including 22,000 in Emergency conditions (IPC Phase 4). Although annual inflation fell to 14.8% in 2025, this was not accompanied by any real increase in income: households’ purchasing power, especially among the displaced, remains severely compromised.
Action Against Hunger’s Response
Present in Lebanon since 2006, Action Against Hunger activated emergency response mechanisms immediately after the escalation of March 2nd. As of March 19th, 2026, the organization has reached 35,137 people with multi-sectoral assistance across all eight governorates of Lebanon — including hard-to-reach areas such as Hasbaya and Zefta in Nabatieh district. Teams are operating in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel, Nabatieh, South Lebanon, North Lebanon and Akkar, providing support across 139 collective shelters.
Thus far, Action Against Hunger has done the following to improve sanitation and hygiene (WASH):
- Distributed 39,924 liters of bottled water and supplied 224 cubic meters of water via water trucking.
- Distributed 1,451 family hygiene kits, 1,501 menstrual hygiene management (MHM) kits, 450 baby hygiene kits, and 30 incontinence kits.
- Supported 139 collective shelters with emergency WASH services and distributed 2,253 mattresses and mats and 2,432 blankets.
To support health and nutrition, teams have:
- Conducted 843 primary healthcare consultations and provided 67 sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.
- Expanded hospital support to 6 facilities, maintaining care for high-risk pregnancies and extending emergency services to three additional hospitals in Saida, Hermel and West Bekaa.
- Provided nutritional supplements to 423 children aged 6–59 months and screened 196 children and pregnant or breastfeeding women for malnutrition.
- Reached 375 caregivers with child nutrition awareness messages and provided complementary nutrition food to 21 children aged 6–23 months.
To bolster food security, teams have:
- Distributed 1,208 Ready-to-Eat (RTE) food parcels. However, it is estimated that up to 40% of food needs remain unmet due to lack of resources.
Action Against Hunger calls on the international community to exert diplomatic pressure for an immediate ceasefire, ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all affected areas, and provide financial support for the humanitarian response. UNICEF’s plan for the next three months requires 48 million US dollars: as of early March 2026, 83.5% of these funds were still unavailable. Without adequate resources, thousands of families risk losing access even to the bare minimum needed to survive.
