Water officials and well owners in Tawila locality, North Darfur State, have warned of a rapid decline in groundwater levels amid insufficient rainfall, increased consumption and uncontrolled drilling of wells.
Abdelshafea Abdullah Adam, Director of the Water and Environmental Sanitation Project in the locality, explained that “increasing reliance on groundwater before the start of the dry season is a worrying indicator.”
He pointed out that excessive pumping and the absence of regulations governing well drilling threaten to reduce well productivity and cause some traditional water sources to dry up.
Displacement sites in Tawila are witnessing persistent overcrowding at water distribution points, with families forced to wait for hours to obtain their daily water needs.
Tawila locality, which is under the control of the Sudan Liberation Army Movement led by Abdelwahid Mohamed Nour, is hosting more than 900,000 displaced people who fled fighting and clashes in El Fasher and its surrounding areas, as well as parts of the Kordofan region. According to United Nations agencies, they are living in extremely harsh conditions, with an almost complete lack of basic necessities.
