The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said destruction of a major water pipeline has left nearly half of the children in the Iraqi battleground city of Mosul cut off from access to clean water.

UNICEF Representative in Iraq, Peter Hawkins, said in a press statement on Wednesday that nearly 300,000 children and their families lost access to one of the three major water conduits in eastern Mosul.

This is happening amid the military’s ongoing operations to wrest control of the city from terrorists.

He said Islamic State and Da’esh currently controls part of the city, where the broken pipeline is located, making it very hard to access and repair quickly.

“Children and their families are facing a horrific situation in Mosul. Not only are they in danger of getting killed or injured in the cross-fire.

“Now potentially more than half a million people do not have safe water to drink,” the UNICEF official said.

According to him, there was only enough running water for a few more days, and if it would not be restored, civilians may be forced to use unsafe water.

UNICEF reports that children exposed to unsafe water are at risk of waterborne diseases such as severe diarrhoea and the threat of malnutrition.

The agency also supports the Government of Iraq in reactivating nearby boreholes and water treatment plants to provide safe water to the affected areas in Mosul until the main water line becomes accessible for repairs.

Hawkins also urged all parties to the conflict to allow these critical deliveries and repairs, stressing that civilian infrastructure must never be attacked.