U.N. Warns Power Cuts Impeding Access to Water in Lebanon

The U.N. children's agency earlier has warned that Lebanon's lengthy power cuts are impeding access to safe water.

"More than four million people across Lebanon... face the prospect of critical water shortages or being completely cut off from safe water supply in the coming days," UNICEF said in a statement.

"UNICEF is calling for the urgent restoration of the power supply -- the only solution to keep water services running," it said.

Lebanon is mired in what the World Bank has described as one of the world's worst economic crises since the 1850s, and more than three-quarters of the population now live in poverty.