As civil war continues to devastate Sudan, residents in the capital, Khartoum, are confronting an escalating water crisis alongside severe food shortages.
Many are now forced to fetch water from the Nile River using carts or purchase untreated water, which has become increasingly scarce.
“We’ve been without water for 17 days. The situation is unbearable. We now have to buy water, but prices are skyrocketing. Two barrels cost 1,000 Sudanese pounds (about $1.66),” said local resident Ahmed Musa.
For context, the average annual income for a Sudanese is approximately $2,379, or about $6.50 per day, according to United Nations statistics.
The city’s vital water infrastructure, including a Nile River treatment plant and several urban supply stations, has been severely damaged amid ongoing fighting. A shortage of personnel and spare parts has further disrupted water networks across multiple districts, leaving tens of thousands of households without access to clean water.
The consumption of untreated water has increased the risk of illnesses, including cholera, a waterborne bacterial disease.
With winter approaching, the deteriorating health crisis and lack of basic necessities threaten to exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Sudan.
On Saturday, the Sudanese Ministry of Health announced the launch of a vaccination campaign targeting over 1.4 million people against cholera in eastern and northern regions of the country.
Since the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in mid-April 2023, the spread of epidemic diseases such as cholera, malaria, measles, and dengue fever has resulted in hundreds of deaths.
The health ministry has reported 25,037 cholera cases and 702 related deaths to date.
On Friday, UNICEF warned that 3.1 million people, including 500,000 children under five, are at risk of cholera in Sudan.
As civil war continues to devastate Sudan, residents in the capital, Khartoum, are confronting an escalating water crisis alongside severe food shortages.
Many are now forced to fetch water from the Nile River using carts or purchase untreated water, which has become increasingly scarce.
“We’ve been without water for 17 days. The situation is unbearable. We now have to buy water, but prices are skyrocketing. Two barrels cost 1,000 Sudanese pounds (about $1.66),” said local resident Ahmed Musa.
For context, the average annual income for a Sudanese is approximately $2,379, or about $6.50 per day, according to United Nations statistics.
The city’s vital water infrastructure, including a Nile River treatment plant and several urban supply stations, has been severely damaged amid ongoing fighting. A shortage of personnel and spare parts has further disrupted water networks across multiple districts, leaving tens of thousands of households without access to clean water.
The consumption of untreated water has increased the risk of illnesses, including cholera, a waterborne bacterial disease.
With winter approaching, the deteriorating health crisis and lack of basic necessities threaten to exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Sudan.
On Saturday, the Sudanese Ministry of Health announced the launch of a vaccination campaign targeting over 1.4 million people against cholera in eastern and northern regions of the country.
Since the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in mid-April 2023, the spread of epidemic diseases such as cholera, malaria, measles, and dengue fever has resulted in hundreds of deaths.
The health ministry has reported 25,037 cholera cases and 702 related deaths to date.
On Friday, UNICEF warned that 3.1 million people, including 500,000 children under five, are at risk of cholera in Sudan.
