United Nations 6 April 2026 ESCWA, the United Nations arm for social and economic development in the West Asia region (ESCWA), highlighted growing concerns about water security throughout the Gulf region as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues.
ESCWA said in a report that the Gulf countries are among the most water-scarce countries in the world and rely heavily on water desalination, as nearly 40 million people depend on it to obtain drinking water. It was noted that any outage – whether due to damage to energy infrastructure, seawater pollution or direct strikes on facilities – could severely impact supplies.
Desalination plants are closely connected to power systems, making them vulnerable to power outages. The report also warns that falling missile debris, environmental incidents, or attacks near critical infrastructure could lead to operations being interrupted.
Indirect risks are also significant, the report said, adding that oil spills or radioactive contamination could affect seawater used for desalination.
At the same time, displacement and overcrowding in shelters – especially in Lebanon – place additional pressure on access to safe water and sanitation.