There is a subject that almost never comes up in the news from Syria: water. But as bombs and mortar shells rain down on communities—damaging the infrastructure that once protected public health—contaminated water may at times prove as deadly as the weapons of war.

After months of assisting refugees in neighboring countries like Jordan and Lebanon, Oxfam is now ramping up its water and sanitation program inside Syria. As the BBC reported, we shipped out our first batch of supplies yesterday—20 tons of equipment, including seven storage tanks that can each hold 95,000 liters of water. Once the shipment arrives in Damascus, Oxfam’s technical team on the ground will work with local water engineers and technicians to get the water flowing in hard-hit communities.

Our goal in Syria: clean water for 300,000 people.

“It’s really important we get safe, clean water to people,” says Oxfam’s Ian Bray.

In the rubble and devastation of Syria, that point is hard to argue.