By EDMUND SANDERS
The lines for water never stop in the refugee camps in Sudan’s Darfur region. Already ravaged by a violent civil war, Darfur now faces a growing environmental crisis as drought, deforestation and overstressed land have depleted much of the region’s natural resources. ABU SHOUK CAMP, Sudan | Wells at this giant Darfur refugee camp are drying up.
Women wait as long as three days for water, using jerricans to save their places in line. A year ago, residents could fill a 5-gallon plastic can in a few minutes, but lately the flow is so slow, it takes a half-hour.
“The water is running out,” said Mariam Ahmed Mohammed, 35, sweating at the pump with an infant strapped to her back. “As soon as I fill one jerrican, I put another at the back of the line.”
Water isn’t the only endangered resource. Forests were chopped down long ago, and the roots dug up for firewood. Thousands of displaced families live atop prime agricultural land, preventing farmers from growing food. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
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