Sudan’s capital assigns 9.5 mln pounds to solve water crisis
$1.57 million is allocated by the state to solve the potable water crisis. Residents in Khartoum continue to demonstrate on the streets against the disruptions.
Khartoum state announced the allocation of SDG9.5 million ($1.57 million) to solve the potable water crisis in the city on Thursday. Residents in the capital city took to the streets this week to protest the water disruptions in their neighbourhoods.
The emergency budget will be used to provide treatment and new power generators to water stations, to avoid a negative impact by the electricity shortage. Also, considerations were made to strategically plan a stable supply of drinking water from the Nile river, and to abandon the ground water production in the state altogether.
The announcement was made following a meeting of the new Governor, Abdelrahim Hussein, with the Khartoum State Water Corporation (KSWC), in the presence of the state Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister of Finance and commissioners of the state localities.
The meeting decided to form an extended operations room including the Infrastructure and Finance ministries and the KSWC, to take urgent action to address water cuts and shortages at various sites.
Governor Hussein fired the director of KWSC last week, following a series of protests over unresolved water shortages in Khartoum. Traffic in southern Khartoum was blocked when residents of affected neighbourhoods took to the streets. The mainly women demonstrators wanted to express their anger over the continued water cuts, which has resulted in extremely high drinking water prices.
The demonstrations in neighbourhoods in Khartoum against the continuous water supply disruptions expanded on Monday to El Fitehab in Omdurman, El Kalakla in southern Khartoum, Sangat, El Gatiya, El Wehda and El Gubba.
Diesoline shortage in El Gedaref
In El Gedaref state, the mechanised farmers' union revealed the renewed crisis of diesoline, and queues in front of fuel stations. Omar Hassan Fadel, the deputy-head of the union, told Radio Dabanaga that the state suffers from the scarcity of diesoline, as the preparation for the agricultural season is about to start.
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