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GENEVA 

Chad is nearing collapse under the weight of a rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis, with 1.5 million people in urgent need of clean water and only a fraction currently being reached, the UN humanitarian affairs office warned Friday.

Speaking at UN briefing in Geneva, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Francois Batalingaya said that "many are receiving just 5 liters (1.32 gallons) a day, well below the 15-liter standard." The growing water crisis is compounded by overcrowding and unsanitary conditions that have raised fears of a cholera outbreak, with cases already detected just 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) from the refugee epicenter in Adre, according to the coordinator.

"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.

Over 850,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to neighboring Chad since war erupted in Sudan, adding to the 400,000 already there. Nearly 300,000 people are stranded at the border, many sleeping in the open without shelter, clean water, or medical care.

"They arrive traumatized, hungry, and with nothing," Batalingaya said, adding they recount "stories of mass killings, sexual violence, and entire communities destroyed."

Chad's lean season is also worsening, he said, with 3.3 million people facing food insecurity this year – up 400% from a decade ago.

The UN and 65 humanitarian partners are seeking $1.4 billion for the response but have received just 9.3% of that target. "We are doing all we can on the ground," Batalingaya said. "But without urgent funding, we cannot scale up."

He emphasized that this crisis threatens not only refugees, but also the Chadian communities hosting them.