To moisten, it has to be water (5)
I believe the answer is:
bedew
'to moisten' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'be water' is the wordplay.
'water' becomes 'dew' (dew is a kind of water).
'be'+'dew'='BEDEW'
'it has to' is the link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bedew that I've seen before include "Sprinkle with water (poetic)" , "Moisten (poetic)" .)