Tripoli, Feb 2 (IANS) The UN Children's Fund (Unicef) has warned of a imminent humanitarian disaster in Libya due to the shortage of water supply in the war-ravaged country.

"Over 4 million people, including 1.5 million children, will face imminent water problems if immediate solutions are not found and implemented," the Unicef said in a statement on Monday.

The statement explained that the prolonged crisis in the country has impaired the country's water facilities.

"This is mainly attributed to the lack of required budgets for the purchase of equipment, operational materials and spare parts for regular maintenance.

"Suppliers are also struggling to open bank credits in hard currency to import equipment from outside the country," the statement said.

The Unicef calls on the Libyan government and international organisations to prioritize the water supply in order to avoid a "humanitarian disaster," the agency's Special Representative in Libya, AbdulKadir Musse, was quoted as saying in the statement.

Due to the protracted armed conflict, political and economic crises and the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 1.2 million people, including over 348,000 children, require humanitarian assistance in Libya, according to the Unicef.

The agency and its partners require $49.1 million to spearhead emergency preparedness and
response interventions in Libya in 2021.

Given the major needs linked to Covid-19, the priority interventions for 2021 include health; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); education; and child protection.

--IANS ksk/