Dirty water 20 times deadlier to children in conflict zones than bullets – Unicef

World Water Day study highlights lethal nature of unsafe sanitation and hygiene for children, especially under-fives

Children under five who live in conflict zones are 20 times more likely to die from diarrhoeal diseases linked to unsafe water than from direct violence as a result of war, Unicef has found.

Analysing mortality data from 16 countries beset by long-term conflict - including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen - the UN children's agency also found that unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene kills nearly three times more children under 15 than war.