Kutum, May 08 (Darfur24)
Residents of Furuk town and surrounding villages northwest of Kutum in North Darfur State are facing a worsening water crisis after most local water sources stopped functioning, forcing many families to rely on unsafe and contaminated water, according to local leaders and emergency officials.
Adam Musa Ibrahim, a community leader in the area, told Darfur24 that obtaining drinking water has become a daily struggle for residents, especially women and children who spend long hours searching for water.
“Some families have no choice but to use unsafe water sources,” he said, warning that the situation could trigger the spread of waterborne diseases.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the North Darfur Emergency Council said nearly 85% of water sources in the affected areas had stopped operating, particularly hand pumps that rural communities depend on for daily water supplies.
The Furuk Field Emergency Room also confirmed that water services had collapsed in several locations, expressing concern over the growing risk of disease outbreaks linked to the use of contaminated water.
The director of the government’s Water and Environmental Sanitation Project in North Darfur, Engineer Abdul Shafi Abdullah Adam, had previously acknowledged to Darfur24 that rural areas in the state are facing an escalating water crisis, especially during the summer season when water sources become scarce and demand sharply increases.
The crisis comes amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions across Darfur, where conflict, displacement, and collapsing infrastructure have left millions struggling to access basic services.