"Water and sanitation services are buckling after years of economic meltdown, with many people unable to afford safe alternatives"

"HALBA, Lebanon - Maha El Hamed and her family can no longer afford to buy bottled water when the taps run dry - a regular occurrence in her refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

"When we don't have tap water, we rely on the nearest pond," the Syrian said as she sat beside the hospital bed of her seriously ill 4-year-old son - victim of a cholera outbreak that is bringing more misery to crisis-hit Lebanon.

In just one month, the outbreak has spread throughout the country of six million, infecting nearly 2,000 people and killing 17, according to the latest health ministry data."

Tala Ramadan reports for Thomson Reuters Foundation November 8, 2022. [2]