France, Nov. 5 -- The findings, published on 5 November in the United Nations' children's agency's Water Under Fire report, highlight the growing threat to essential infrastructure in some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones.

Covering 23 countries and territories between January 2021 and June 2026, the report documents a sharp rise in attacks on water supplies, sanitation facilities and the people responsible for maintaining them.

According to Unicef, these attacks are becoming more frequent, taking increasingly varied forms and spreading across wider geographical areas.

The agency identified seven categories of attacks, ranging from strikes on water treatment plants, pipelines and wells to the contamination of water sources a...