Thirst Grips Khartoum Residents as War Enters Fourth Year

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has plunged its capital, Khartoum, into a deepening crisis, with the lack of clean water emerging as one of the most acute and life-threatening challenges. As the war grinds into its fourth year, the collapse of basic services, particularly electricity, has crippled water supply systems, transforming a fundamental necessity into a daily battle for survival for millions.

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the crisis had worsened sharply because of continuous power outages, which have knocked water stations out of service in many areas.

Asharq Al-Awsat's reporting paints a grim picture of daily life in Khartoum. Residents are forced to spend arduous hours queuing for water, often transporting it in containers over long distances using carts or on their own backs. The price of water has skyrocketed, and concerns about contamination and the spread of waterborne diseases are rampant, yet people have no viable alternatives. This situation is not merely an inconvenience; it is a humanitarian emergency unfolding on a massive scale.

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I sometimes spend more than 10 hours waiting to obtain a barrel of water, which he buys for 5,000 Sudanese pounds, about $1, before selling it for around 20,000 pounds, or $4, at parallel market rates to cover transport costs and the effort of his daily work.

The stories of Al-Tayeb Bilal, Zeinab al-Tom, Makkah Abdullah, and Fatima Hassan, shared through our reporting, are not isolated incidents. They represent the collective suffering of a population caught in the crossfire, struggling to meet their most basic needs. The impact on small businesses and household economies is devastating, with essential resources consuming meager incomes.

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families have been forced to buy water daily for more than a year despite deteriorating living conditions.

From our perspective at Asharq Al-Awsat, this crisis underscores the devastating consequences of prolonged conflict on civilian populations. While international attention often focuses on the fighting itself, the slow, grinding erosion of daily life – the struggle for water, food, and shelter – is equally critical. We echo the urgent calls from Khartoum's residents for immediate intervention by authorities to restore essential services and alleviate the immense suffering. The international community must also recognize the severity of this unfolding disaster and provide the necessary support.

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some of the water that reaches residents is contaminated or not fully fit for use, but people are forced to use it because there are no alternatives.