Severe drinking water crisis in Bahr El Arab, East Darfur

The residents of Siad Bara in Bahr El Arab locality in the southern part of East Darfur, complain of a shortage of drinking water. Large numbers of livestock have died. “The only three wells in the area are all not operating,” a citizen told Radio Dabanga from Siad Bara. “It takes about five hours on a donkey to collect water, as the nearest place to fetch water from is about 10km away. The Commissioner of Bahr El Arab had arranged for a borehole driller, but it turned out to be broken too.” The resident of Siad Bara, whose population amounts to about 4,000 people, reported that large numbers of livestock have died of thirst during the last months. He added that also the region located north of Bahr El Arab locality is also facing a severe potable water crisis, “including the areas of Buwat El Kheil, Tabaldiya, El Shitiya, Yagheen, Hilal, and Sheikh Abdel Rahman Aboud”. The citizen appealed to the local authorities and the East Darfur State government to “take immediate action and solve the problem, as the scarcity of water is affecting all aspects of human life”. File photo: Darfuri woman collecting water from a dry wadi Related:Thousands of displaced in East Darfur in need of aid (8 May 2014) Serious water crisis in East Darfur’s Khor Omer camp (17 February 2014) Thirst as drinking water hits almost $9 a barrel in East Darfur (24 December 2014)