CHAPTER THREE
LEAST PROTECTED, MOST AFFECTED I am very concerned that water shortage will happen in Jordan. Since I arrived in Mafraq water cuts have happened constantly. —Name withheld, Syrian refugee, Mafraq, Jordan, September 2020
COVID-19 has greatly affected my life . . . my family’s expenditure on detergents, soaps, and sanitizers has doubled. —Name withheld, Syrian refugee, southern Marka (Amman), Jordan, September 2020
KEY HIGHLIGHTS • Access to safe drinking water is a daily struggle for millions of forcibly displaced Iraqis, Libyans, Palestinians, Syrians, and Yemenis, and for international migrants, heightening public health risks. • Access to water and hygiene is critical both for containing COVID-19 (coronavirus) and for lowering its immediate impact; however, it comes at a cost for vulnerable forcibly displaced households. For this reason, access to safe drinking water among forcibly displaced and international migrant populations has declined following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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