Scramble for water in Sudan’s Sennar – one dead, two injured

A woman died from electrocution and two others were injured at a water station in Sudan’s Sennar state on Sunday as thirsty residents scrambled for drinking water.

A resident of El Mazmum told Radio Dabanga that the residents had been thirsty for three days. This resulted in a scramble at the water station. An electricity pole was pushed over in the crush, and fell into the water. Elweira Ahmed Elweira was electrocuted and diet at the scene, and two other people received severe shocks. They transferred to hospital and are in stable condition now.

He added that the water supply resumed at the station after the incident, and the security committee of El Mazmum administrative unit met with officials to assess and address the situation.

The source said that the residents there held the Minister of Urban Planning and the Commissioner and director of the Water Corporation the responsibility for the incident.

Leaders and youths reported that the area El Mazmum has suffered for a month of water cuts, but the last time has continued for three days, which subjected tens of thousands of the residents and their livestock to thirst.

They pointed out that the water is pumped to El Mazmum station through a huge pipeline from the Nile Valley and Blue Nile and a distance of 150 kilometres before the arrival to El Mazmum to be raised in the tank and distributed through the internal network.

A resident pointed out that the former Governor of Sennar, Ahmed Abbas, has made political promises to many other areas such as El Garbein, Buzi, El Jar and Abuarif to supply them with water from the same station project, which caused a additional pressure, this along with the herders’ in the area breaking the main water pipe, which extends 150 kilometres to water their livestock and get themselves supply, as happened has recently between El Garbein and El Mazmum.