Residents of Sarreh Samba Baidy and Sarreh Samba Kekuta in Upper River Region have complained of acute shortage of water and called for immediate intervention of the government and philanthropists.
The villagers said for five months now, they trek two kilometres to fetch water in other villages.
“We have been experiencing serious difficulties accessing drinking water both for ourselves and our animals,” Malang Dem, the Sarreh Demba Baidy Village Development Committee chairman, said.
He appealed to the government to intervene and address their problem.
He said the villagers are desperately in need of help.
“The issue should be considered an emergency because we are really suffering. Just imagine walking for two kilometres to fetch water for yourself and your animals,” he said. He said apart from the distance to neighboring villages, women will have to wait for hours for their turn to get water because those villagers must get water first.
“Sometimes they even fight there,” he said, adding that due to the poor quality of water, the children in the village frequently get ill.
