Thirst prevails in Darfur camps

Throughout Darfur, camps for the displaced suffer from water shortages, caused by low groundwater levels and a lack of fuel to operate the pumps.A recent monitoring mission by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to a number of camps in North Darfur has identified a major shortfall of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. For newly displaced people in Zamzam camp near El Fasher, groundwater provision is scarce, OCHA reported in its latest monthly bulletin. The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector (Wash) said that the best solution for the water crisis would be to relocate the camp residents to areas where the water availability is better.However, the rainy season will start soon and flood Zamzam’s nearby wadi (seasonal river), forcing some 6,500 displaced people currently staying there to relocate as the risk of waterborne diseases will increase. 2.5 litres per dayAccording to the Wash in South Darfur, close to 17,000 newly displaced people face acute water shortages in Kalma camp for the displaced in Nyala locality.Currently, 2.5 litres of water are available per person per day, which is far below the guidelines of 7.5 to 15 litres a day, OCHA reported. Funding shortfalls, bureaucratic transportation impediments, and the depletion of groundwater supplies are blocking the activities of Wash.The residents of Kalma camp have been suffering from a severe shortage of drinking water for the last two weeks, a camp leader told Radio Dabanga this week. There is a fuel shortage causing the non-operation of the water pumps, as well as a low level of groundwater.Water trucksEl Salam camp in Nyala locality is experiencing similar water issues. OCHA reported that the UN Children’s Agency (Unicef) and the government’s Water and Environmental Sanitation Department (Wes) are trucking 110 cubic metres of water per day to the about 12,500 new arrivals in sector 8 of the camp.According to an update from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 47,812 newly displaced people have arrived at El Salam since February 2014. Efforts are underway to negotiate land for new boreholes and tackle the water crisis caused by a limited groundwater supply, according to OCHA.File photo: Displaced children about to collect water from one still-operating pump in Kalma camp, South Darfur, 1 July 2014 (Radio Dabanga correspondent)Related:Newly displaced in North Darfur’s Zamzam camp in urgent need (27 April 2014) Severe water crisis in Kalma camp, South Darfur (1 July 2014)