THE people of Khartoum are in need of clean drinking water.
The capital is facing a clean drinking water crisis amid escalating clashes between the Sudanese army and the rapid support forces.
According to the united nations children’s fund, over 17.3 million Sudanese people lacked access to clean drinking water even before the armed conflict broke out in April 2023.
The clashes have damaged multiple facilities supplying water to the capital. Many water and power supply stations have become targets of armed forces
Some armed personnel have seized control of water supply stations and turned them into military bases, which restricts their use or even shuts them down, making it more difficult for local people to obtain clean drinking water.
The lack of management personnel and repair parts has also led to interruptions in the water supply network across various areas for several months, leaving hundreds of thousands of households without access to water.
Some neighborhoods in Khartoum have been without water for nearly a year.
Residents are forced to use horse-drawn carriages or carts to travel to the Nile river to fetch water.
However, those who cannot fetch water themselves can only buy untreated water coming from the river, which costs as much as 500 Sudanese pounds or about 0.85 U.S. dollars.
Residents continue to suffer from the severe impact of the violent clashes, hoping for the conflict to end soon.
‘’Life is unbearable. Without access to clean drinking water, the whole family is struggling. What other choice do we have?’’ Hamad Al-Sir resident in Khartoum.
‘’We have reached out to the local government repeatedly. The reason for the water outage in our neighborhood is that a nearby water supply station has stopped functioning. The staff are unable to restore its operation, because the armed personnel won’t allow them to enter the station,” said, a local resident,’’ Ahmed Musa resident in Khartoum.
‘’I hope the conflict will end soon. War is the greatest enemy of mankind. The Sudanese people have suffered too much already. I hope that one day we can restore our previous lives, with access to water and electricity, and everyone can work and live in peace.,’’ Alshafea Adam resident in Khartoum.
