(MENAFN) Chad is teetering on the edge of a humanitarian catastrophe, as an alarming shortage of clean water threatens the lives of over 1.5 million people, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Friday.

During a press briefing in Geneva, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Francois Batalingaya issued a stark warning about the worsening emergency: “Many are receiving just 5 liters (1.32 gallons) a day, well below the 15-liter standard.” He added that deteriorating sanitary conditions and overcrowded refugee settlements have heightened the risk of a major cholera outbreak. Infections have already been detected a mere 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) from the densely populated refugee zone in Adre.

“This is an S.O.S. If we fail to act now – with solidarity, with resources, and with resolve – lives will be lost, and the crisis will deepen,” Batalingaya said.

The crisis has been intensified by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has forced more than 850,000 refugees to flee into Chad since fighting began—adding to the 400,000 already displaced there. Around 300,000 people remain trapped at the border, exposed to the elements and lacking basic necessities such as shelter, safe drinking water, and medical care.

“They arrive traumatized, hungry, and with nothing,” Batalingaya said. Refugees have recounted “stories of mass killings, sexual violence, and entire communities destroyed.”

Chad’s worsening lean season has further compounded the emergency. This year, 3.3 million people are expected to experience food insecurity—a staggering 400% increase compared to a decade ago, according to UN data.

To address the escalating crisis, the UN and 65 humanitarian partners have appealed for $1.4 billion in aid. However, only 9.3% of that amount has been received so far.

“We are doing all we can on the ground,” Batalingaya stressed. “But without urgent funding, we cannot scale up.”

He concluded with a warning that the humanitarian emergency extends beyond the refugee population, posing a serious threat to the Chadian host communities as well.

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