Tawila, February 09 (Darfur24)
Thousands of displaced people in the “Masal” camp in Tawila locality, North Darfur, are facing a worsening water crisis that has persisted for more than ten months, leaving families struggling to secure drinking water and raising fears of disease outbreaks and renewed displacement.
The Masal camp is the second largest gathering of displaced people in Tawila locality, where residents face severe difficulties accessing clean water due to weak supply sources that are insufficient to meet growing needs.
Several displaced residents told Darfur24 on Sunday that women and children spend more than eight hours each day waiting in long queues to obtain drinking water.
They said the crisis is intensifying as waves of displaced people continue arriving from Dar Al Salam locality and the Dar Sumayat area east of El Fasher, placing additional pressure on already limited resources.
Residents added that the shortage has forced many families to ration daily water consumption, raising serious health concerns inside the camp.
A humanitarian activist warned Darfur24 that the continued crisis could trigger the return of waterborne diseases and epidemics, particularly cholera.
An official in the civilian authority affiliated with the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid Nour had previously confirmed to Darfur24 last December that the Masal camp was experiencing a severe water shortage.
The official said the wider Tanjer reservoir area suffers from a longstanding infrastructure crisis, calling on humanitarian partners to urgently drill new wells to ease the suffering of displaced families and support their stability.