Beirut, Jul 24 (IANS): More than four million people, including one million refugees, are at immediate risk of losing access to safe water in Lebanon, the Unicef said in a new report.

With the rapidly escalating economic crisis, shortages of funding, fuel and supplies such as chlorine and spare parts, the Unicef estimates that most water pumping will gradually cease across the country in the next four to six weeks, the report released on Friday said.

If the public water supply system collapses, the UN agency estimates that water costs could skyrocket by 200 per cent a month when securing water from alternative or private water suppliers.

For far too many of Lebanon's extremely vulnerable households, this cost will be too much to bear, as it represents 263 per cent of the monthly average income.

According to a Unicef-supported assessment based on data collected by the country's four main public water utility companies in May and June 2021, more than 71 per cent of people fall within 'highly critical' and 'critical' levels of vulnerability.

It revealed that nearly 1.7 million people have access to only 35 litres a day, a decrease of almost 80 per cent against the national average of 165 litres pre-2020.

The assessment further said that public water utility providers can no longer afford essential spare parts for maintenance and since 2020 there has been an increase of 35 per cent of the prices of private sector bulk water supplies, while the cost of bottled water has doubled.

According to the study, blackouts and an intermittent power supply are placing water systems under pressure, interrupting the treatment, pumping, and distribution of water.

On a national level, water that is unaccounted for due to system losses is about 40 per cent; mostly due to the lack of maintenance and illegal connections, it added.

The Unicef needs $40 million a year to keep the water flowing to over four million people across the country by securing the minimum levels of fuel; chlorine, spare parts and maintenance required to keep critical systems operational; and safeguarding access and operation of the public water systems.