Doesn't water have the exact same problem in the context of electric charge? The water might get hydrolyzed, producing even more oxygen and giving you hydrogen

Doesn't water have the exact same problem in the context of electric charge? The water might get hydrolyzed, producing even more oxygen and giving you hydrogen gas as a bonus. "Lots of water" might be an understatement -- if you can't submerge the entire battery in water, don't even try it.