Sudanese, cattle suffer from water service disruptions

Disrupted water services in Sudan have continued to burden the local populations with difficulties in obtaining drinking water for themselves and their livestock.

A resident in Saadoun in Tullus, South Darfur, complained that the residents have to travel on a donkey for three hours in order to get water. “Three donkeys died as a result of the acute thirst problems because one water engine broke down one week ago.

“It is the only one in the area,” he said, explaining that about 20,000 people live in the area with 5,000 heads of cattle. “The water from one water engine is not enough to supply the entire population of the area with water.”

The residents called on Tullus locality and state authorities to speed up the maintenance of the water engine, and stressed the need to provide another water engine.

West Darfur

In El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, people suffer from a severe shortage of drinking water. The price of a barrel of water has risen to SDG40 ($6.55).

Yesterday, one of the residents told Radio Dabanga that commodity prices have also risen, owing to the the difficulty to access the city as security conditions deteriorate in the state.

“The people in the city are through bad economic conditions and, because of the water service issues, are on the verge of a famine.”

Sennar

People in Jileidat in Sennar, eastern Sudan, reported a complete lack of water services. The population of 12,000 people has access to one well, a villager told this station, despite the government's repeated promises of installing a water network.

“Residents are often obligated to pay water bills although they do not receive water services,” he said. A barrel of water now costs SDG15 ($2.45).

He also pointed to a lack of health services in Jileidat. “People have to resort to Sennar or Dindir for treatment.” The health centre in the area has remained closed for years without providing health services to the citizens since it was built, he added.