Present-day conflicts often end in stalemates, situations that are neither war nor peace. In such cases emergency aid cannot be withdrawn from one day to the next. Time is needed for basic services, such as water-supply systems, to start functioning normally again. This in-depth film features three different types of water programme carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in cooperation with local bodies. First, two water-supply projects are shown in an urban context, in Mogadishu (Somalia) and Bukavu (Democratic Republic of the Congo). The next project is a similar one, this time carried out in a rural setting, on the Lake Kivu Island of Idjwi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The last part of the film focuses on the ICRC's water and sanitation programmes aimed at improving sanitary conditions in Rwanda's overcrowded prisons. These three examples, set in different environments and using different approaches, demonstrate that access to safe water is an essential component of any public health programme.