South Darfur’s Nyala Citizens Troubled by Water Scarcity
(AWP) - As summer begins and temperatures rise, the suffering of the Sudanese people in the city of Nyala, South Darfur State, is worsening due to the acute shortage of water.
The scarcity has resulted from damage to the city’s water network, which has not been functional for several months because of the violent clashes that took place in the city late last year between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The water crisis has now reached its peak, due to difficulties facing the delivery of water tankers to the northern districts of the city because of fuel scarcity and high prices.
Some of the locals have had to buy unclean water, at double the price, from animal-drawn tankers.
Volunteers in the Al-Sadd Al-Aali neighborhood launched the Al-Soqya initiative, where young people collect donations to provide water supply for free to the local residents.
“The Al-Soqya project targets 1,350 families in Al-Sadd Al-Aali. So far, on the fifth day, we have covered about 900 families,” said Ala’ Al-Din Al-Fadil, a member of the water distribution initiative.
We will continue working until we reach the target figure, in order to lessen poverty, hunger and thirst, and to protect families from homelessness and displacement,” he added.
Siddig Al-Hadj, a Sudanese citizen, said that since the end of autumn, people have suffered greatly due to the lack of water.
“We are grateful to the initiative by the youths of the Al-Sadd Al-Aali emergency group, who distributed water to us. We wish there were more initiatives like this,” he noted.
Thousands of inhabitants of Nyala, South Darfur, have relocated to neighboring states to flee raging battles in the city, which is now under the control of the RSF, among other areas in Darfur province.
People who remained in the city have been troubled by a lack of services, as government utilities and institutions were shut down.