Western Asia

Airstrikes in Jahran, Dhamar, Yemen by coalition forces hit water and electricity systems.

Airstrikes by coalition forces hits several water projects, killing five civilians and injuring 11 others in Saadah and Sahar, Sadah, Yemen.

Water systems used to transfer water from Isfahan to the neighboring province of Yazd are damaged multiple times by farmers protesting the loss of the water supply. Farmers blame the Iranian government for the lack of water in their region. Reports from social media show police officers attacking farmers associated with the destroyed pipes.

Iran diverts water to flood Iraqi defense positions.

The Syrian civil war and the displacement of refugees into Jordan contribute to a growing water supply crisis. In summer 2013, riots associated with water shortages are reported by the director of water utilities in Jordan’s Mafraq governorate. He notes, “Mafraq was on fire. People burned tires in the street and closed the roads. There was tension over water in the past, but the Syria crisis has made it much worse.”

At least 30 people are reported killed during an attack on a dam in the Hadithah area of Iraq. No group claims responsibility for the attack but it is thought to have been carried out by Islamic State.

A water pipeline is the target of an explosive device in Mardin, Turkey.

The U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State destroys the main pipeline supplying water to Raqqa. The official Syrian Arab News Agency says the pipeline was damaged in an airstrike.

Israel’s sanctions against Gaza cause water shortages and a growing public health risk. In particular, restrictions on fuel, spare parts, and maintenance equipment threaten the functioning of Gaza’s already limited water and sanitation system.

At least two people die from a blast at a water purification plant in the city of Fallujah, in Al Anbar Province. More than 20 people are hospitalized from chlorine poisoning from the destruction of a water-purification chemical storage facility.