As
drought threatens the health of thousands of people in Niger, residents
of a community in the country’s Sahelian southwest celebrate the
flowing of fresh water from a new source. Clean water prevents cholera
and intestinal parasites, the director of the indigenous that helped the
community install the well noted. “Access to clean water does not
affect just one person’s life, it affects the entire village,” he said.
Wells are especially important to children, who are most susceptible
during drought as they dehydrate more quickly than adults from the
diarrhea accompanying disease. The ministry has drilled just over 100
wells, and several others need to be completed with hand pumps. When not
drilling wells, the ministry employs an indigenous team to monitor
existing ones. “We often find government wells broken and repair them
for villages,” the director said. “It is our desire to drill as many
wells as possible each year, but finances most often restrict this. Once
the water well has been drilled, the health of the entire village
changes.”
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