The water scarcity crisis in Darfur was exacerbated by the war in Sudan (Al Jazeera)

El Fasher -

With every new morning, the boy Suleiman Abdullah carries two empty containers on the back of a donkey and goes to one of the water wells in the center of the city of El Fasher, western Sudan, to obtain a few liters of drinking water to quench his family’s thirst during the blessed month of fasting.

Suleiman's dream of obtaining pure water is shared with him by hundreds of boys pulling donkey carts and queuing in long lines in front of water tanks, as the process of obtaining pure water in some areas of the Darfur region has become a necessity of life and a daily matter of survival for many.

For decades, the region's residents have relied on traditional means to overcome the challenges of thirst, including the Karoo, water donkeys, which - in light of drought conditions and scarcity of water resources - are considered an important means of transportation and access to water sources.

It is also considered a reliable and appropriate means of movement in the arid and desert areas for which Darfur is famous. It plays a vital role in the lives of the region’s residents and enhances their ability to adapt and withstand various harsh life conditions.

Donkeys and disguises are a way for the Sudanese to provide drinking water in Darfur (Al Jazeera)

dilemma

The child Suleiman (14 years old) tells Al Jazeera Net: “I spend long hours in line to get water, and after I bring a few liters from the well, I begin another journey to supply my family and some relatives with water.”

He added, "The situation is very bad. Thousands of newly displaced people have joined us after the outbreak of war, and there is not sufficient support. Everyone faces hunger and thirst. We see death with our own eyes in light of the lack of food and the continued military battles around us, so we had to withstand the challenges to live in peace."

Suleiman explained that the dilemma of obtaining clean water has worsened recently due to war and deteriorating conditions, as the region is witnessing a severe shortage of water sources, forcing residents to rely on wells with limited resources and untreated resources, in addition to crowding and population displacement.

As for Fathia Jumaa, a displaced person residing in the city of El Fasher, she says that many of the displaced people in shelter centers suffer from difficult conditions in order to obtain water, as they are sometimes forced to drink salty and polluted water, which threatens to infect them with epidemic diseases.

She added that she and her family were displaced from the northern neighborhoods of El Fasher to one of the shelter centers in the city’s southern neighborhoods after the fighting intensified. She said, “I was hoping to find better living conditions in the shelter center, but unfortunately I was surprised by the bad conditions that the displaced people are living in, including the severe shortage of water and food.” ".

Fathia expressed her deep concern about this situation, and called for rapid intervention by the concerned authorities, whether humanitarian organizations or the local government, to provide aid and urgent needs to the displaced, especially clean water, to ensure the safety of their lives and improve their living conditions.

Old and renewed

In turn, citizen Adam Muhammad Adam says that the general situation is deteriorating day by day, as employee salaries have stopped months ago, and the costs of living have risen, especially the cost of obtaining potable water, which has increased the suffering of citizens. He pointed out the need to find an urgent solution to the water problem, stressing that the situation has become unbearable and “there is no improvement on the horizon.”

According to official reports, the water crisis in the region is old and renewed, as many areas of Darfur - especially the city of El Fasher - have been suffering from water scarcity for years, and it has worsened recently due to the deterioration of the security situation and the intensification of fighting, which led to power outages and the inability to operate electrical generators.

Boys and some men and women used to ride on the backs of animals to get water from the "Dwanki" and some wells in a way that the region had never seen before.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Ahmed Abdel Shafee, Director of the Water Sector in North Darfur State, pointed out the impact of climate change on water production. He stated that the local authorities have developed a plan to advance the water sector and improve the current situation.

He said that efforts are currently focused on using solar energy as an alternative to using fuel in production processes, and that the state relies on two main sources for water production: groundwater and surface water.

Abdel Shafea added that by taking advantage of solar energy, the sustainability of water production is enhanced and dependence on fuel is reduced, which achieves significant environmental and economic benefits.

He pointed to the challenges facing the water sector in the state, especially the lack of funding to implement maintenance work and water projects, in addition to developing new technologies and methods to improve water production, “which requires continuous efforts and cooperation among everyone to overcome them.”

Sudanese stand in front of tanks to obtain drinking water (Al Jazeera)

Challenges

In front of one of the water wells in the city of El Fasher, in a daily routine, dozens of water sellers line up for hours in queues pulled by donkey “disguises” in a painful scene that reflects the reality of the residents’ suffering and their resilience in the face of the challenges of obtaining water.

Water seller Musa Abbas points out that they have to wait for long periods amid crowding in order to get water. He told Al Jazeera Net: "Most water sellers stopped going to some distant residential neighborhoods during the month of Ramadan due to the long distance and thirst, and they began selling water only in homes close to wells."

Abbas added that water prices have risen insanely recently and that the desalination water of the “Dwanki” plants is not of the same quality as the previous fresh water, as a change in its color is noticeable.

Another seller, who was waiting for his turn to fill in front of the desalination plant, also complained about the harshness of their work selling water due to the difficulty of obtaining it from wells and desalination tanks.

He told Al Jazeera Net: "We sometimes have to wait more than 3 hours and in a long line to get water, and things get worse when the station breaks down due to a lack of fuel. We live in very difficult conditions in order to deliver water to customers."

On March 22 of each year, the world celebrates World Water Day. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992 and aims to raise awareness of the importance of fresh water and the preservation of its resources throughout the world.

This day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the need to protect water and use it in sustainable ways, and to promote justice in the distribution of water around the world. It also reflects the importance of international cooperation to confront water challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Source: Al Jazeera