“When clean water finally reached our camp, it felt like life was starting again. We no longer worry every day about our children getting sick.”
— May Thin, a 32-year-old displaced mother of three from northern Rakhine.
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
Source OCHANeeds
In 2026, an estimated 8.9 million people across 227 of Myanmar’s 330 townships will require WASH assistance. Needs are driven by protracted and new displacement, lingering flood and earthquake damage, market disruption and inflation, as well as recurrent AWD/cholera outbreaks linked to the monsoon and deterioration of WASH services and facilities in many sites and locations. Protracted conflict and repeated displacement continue to disrupt water, sanitation and hygiene services in Chin, Kayah, Kayin, Magway, Rakhine, and Sagaing; recurrent flooding contaminate water sources and damage WASH assets; access and terrain constraints delay repairs in Chin and Kayah; dry-season water scarcity affects Magway, Rakhine, and Sagaing; and earthquake-related damage and water-quality instability persist in pockets of the Northwest and Shan. Households continue to rely on unsafe water sources, face inadequate sanitation, and experience gaps in menstrual hygiene management and disability-inclusive facilities, increasing both protection risks and the transmission of WASH-related diseases. Compared to 2025, overall needs are rising due to new displacement, natural hazards, system deterioration, access constraints and sustained funding gaps.
Response
For 2026, the Cluster targets 2.4 million people (27 per cent of those in need), focusing on severity levels 4–5 and high public health risk groups—newly displaced people, protracted IDPs, returnees and vulnerable stateless or host communities in AWD/cholera-prone areas. Operational coverage is concentrated in high-severity locations.
Core priorities include rapid system repairs, emergency water and sanitation, hygiene and menstrual hygiene kits, and infection prevention and control support in education and health facilities. Prioritization is based on severity, outbreak risk, population density and access. Within prioritized areas, women, girls, children under five, older persons and persons with disabilities receive first-line assistance. Pre-monsoon preparedness and pre-positioning of supplies are emphasized to mitigate seasonal risks.
Delivery modalities include:
- Cash/vouchers where markets function (covering MEB WASH items and hygiene promotion).
- In-kind assistance where markets are weak, or access is limited (water trucking, latrines, cholera kits, chlorine).
- Remote delivery via mobile teams, community focal points, hotlines and third-party monitoring.
Cash assistance uses e-vouchers or restricted cash with strong safeguards and accountability, guided by a decision framework based on market, supply and protection conditions. Access to hard-to-reach areas relies on local leadership, modular kits, alternative routing and rapid AWD surge response within 48–72 hours. Locally-led responses will be strengthened: at least 50 per cent of delivery will be through local partners, supported by capacity building, mentoring and co-leadership in assessments, planning and reporting.
Inter-cluster collaboration includes education (WASH in schools and TLS), health (AWD/cholera readiness), logistics (supply coordination), nutrition (coordination on SAM/MAM cases), protection (safe design, GBV links), and shelter/CCCM (drainage, site planning). Protection and AAP are mainstreamed through safe, sex-segregated latrines, lighting, EORE, and inclusive CFMs.
Monitoring
The Cluster tracks progress through two main reporting cycles:
- Monthly reporting for new emergencies (such as new displacement or disease outbreaks).
- Quarterly reporting for ongoing or protracted responses.
All partners report using a standard indicator set covering outputs, coverage against minimum standards, timeliness, functionality and basic water-quality parameters. Results are reviewed against annual targets, with mid-year and year-end reviews to adjust priorities and approaches as needed.
People in need, targeted and prioritized breakdown
People in Need
People in Need by SAAD
People Targeted
People Targeted by SAAD
People Prioritized
People Prioritized by SAAD
WASH Cluster Strategy:
https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/humanitarian-needs-and-response-pl…