Drought in Ethiopia forcing use of dirty water

Ethiopia is suffering from the worst drought in 40 years to hit the Horn of Africa. As a result, many are struggling with the lack of clean water.

According to the charity WaterAid, four in ten people in Ethiopia do not have access to clean water - that’s almost 60.5 million people. Every hour, a child dies from the resulting diseases.

“My children suffer from skin diseases and are always ill because the water we use is not clean,” said Serma resident Aisha Ali. “Some children even die because of this unsafe water.”

It is not just villagers struggling - even hospitals struggle from the clean water shortage, sometimes having to cancel or postpone surgeries because they do not have water.

“Surgical site infection are there because there’s no adequate water,” said Dr Yusuf muhammad from Dubti General Hospital, “Patient attendants are using rainwater. There’s a nearby river. They are using river water. It is not safe.”

Clean water trucked in by aid groups and the regional government brings temporary relief. But the trucks quickly run dry, and people either have to wait for the next one or are forced to risk using water from the river.