When the Kawergosk refugee camp first opened north of Erbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI) in 2013, things ran smoothly. 

Schools and a medical point were opened, rubbish was collected and drinking water was available to the thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing civil war and the rise of the Islamic State (IS) group at home.

"At Kawergosk camp, you can drink the water," one NGO proudly announced in 2017, rejoicing that humanitarian efforts had "enhanced people's quality of life and reduced the incidence of diarrhoea and waterborne illness to almost zero".

But as funding dwindled over the years and many charities and organisations left, the celebrated "quality of life" crumbled like a sandcastle. Then the clean water ran out.

"None of the camp's four water wells work any more," Azaat Zardesh*, an activist in the camp, tells Middle East Eye. "Two were taken out of service in 2019, and there isn't enough fuel to operate the remaining ones."