Disaster looms in Iraqi city of Mosul as drinking water running out: UN envoy

The UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, warned Wednesday of an impending disaster in the city of Mosul with almost 500,000 civilians now lacking access to clean drinking water. Residents also face severe shortages of electricity and food. "The impact on children, women and families will be catastrophic," she said. The cause of the water cutoff is unclear, with some saying that ISIS shut off the flow, and others asserting that pipelines were damaged during the fighting. Iraqi-led coalition forces launched an offensive in mid-October to liberate the city from the terrorist organization.