Severe water shortages plague the capital area

15 May 2024

In parts of East Nile in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, civilians are compelled to manually extract water from sewage wells in homes under construction. In other areas of eastern Khartoum, people are digging the ground in a desperate bid to find water, according to footage shared by the voluntary support team, the Emergency Response Room (ERR) based in East Nile, Khartoum.

In March this year, NGOs reported that 18.98 million people are in dire need of water in the country.

Residents trapped amidst the fighting in the capital are contending with an escalating drinking water crisis, local residents told Ayin. Areas south of Khartoum and east of the Nile are considered the most affected by water shortages due to a three-month power outage, the same sources said. Consequently, groundwater has also become unavailable and inaccessible due to the high cost of fuel to run the backup generators operating the wells. 

Omar Ibrahim, a member of the Emergency Response Room (ERR) in South Khartoum, told Ayin that the limited available water is too expensive for residents. “The residents in our area are facing the fate of a slow death due to the lack of potable water, as they have become dependent on buying it from donkey carriages for five thousand (Sudanese) pounds per barrel, a huge amount of money.”

According to Ibrahim, residents lost their livelihoods and have used up all their savings, now depending on aid, help from relatives abroad, and food prepared by volunteers. “The water crisis has exacerbated these tragedies,” he added.

Capital-wide hardship

Millions of Sudanese are stranded in the three cities of the capital, Khartoum, Khartoum-North (Bahri), and Omdurman, facing daily insecurity as Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continue to vie for control since the conflict began in mid-April last year.  Along with these severe insecurity challenges, civilians are also struggling to survive severe water shortages.

“Those who survive the gunfire and shelling will get killed by the contaminated water, the spread of epidemics, and the deterioration of services,” says Hanan Osman, who has been stranded in the al-Geraif area in Khartoum for nearly a year.

Recently, according to Osman, the armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF have intensified in the Al-Geraif area where she lives. “The army’s airstrikes on the RSF continue as the latter tries to counter the attacks,” she added. “What worries the stranded citizens of Al-Geraif the most is the prolonged power and water shortages,” Osman told Ayin. She adds that they mostly buy water brought directly from the Nile on donkey carriages.

Hanan claims that the lack of potable water has also reduced the amount of food that the communal kitchens can prepare, which have developed into a haven for people trapped in conflict zones. She says the demand for food in these kitchens has doubled since the water and power outages, dwindling purchasing power, and scarcity of food items. 

Bahri and Omdurman

Meanwhile, the conditions are not similar in Khartoum North, Bahri. 

“We are forced to drink salty water from wells, while the water for bathing and washing is brought to us from the river on tankers once a week,” said Fatima Ali in the Shambat area of Khartoum North. “Here people die from shortness of breath, low and high blood sugar levels, as well as from injuries they sustain due to the armed fighting.” Fatima says the increasing number of patients has put a strain on the limited health services in the area, which are also at risk of attacks by warring parties.

Similarly, in Omdurman, residents report power outages, shortages in water supplies, and limited health care. 

“The water crisis was intense. Now, the Al Manara station is partially working, and water is distributed between some of the neighbourhoods of Al Thawra,” says Sala Abdul, a former Omdurman resident. “Water is available on rotation at specific times a week. However, there are still days-long shortages.” Even when there is water, Abdul told Ayin, the water is unclean and may cause diseases, even death. “Sometimes you can see worms in the water,” she added.

Additionally, Salma says power blackouts extend for weeks or months on end in different parts of the city. The al-Nau Hospital in Al Thawra, some private medical centres, and laboratories are operational, but the health services are too expensive for most residents, she added.  

Omer Hassan, a father of two and shopkeeper in Omdurman, agrees. 

“Most of the services are available in the central neighbourhoods in the Al Thawra area of Omdurman: water, electricity, basic medical care, markets, and small shops. Life is relatively easier in this area,” Hassan said. “However, Old Omdurman suffers from a lack of water, power, and services. The fighting has subsided there, and the displaced people are gradually returning to the area, but there are still many challenges.”