Saving water, saving lives
Life for the people of Darfur has always been tough – this part of Sudan is one of the most arid areas in the world and years of internal conflict have torn apart many families.
For Lubna, who lives in the remote rural village of Abu Degaise in North Darfur times have been especially difficult. When her husband was killed in the war, she was left with family of six, living in a one roomed, mud-walled hut and with little food. Her days were consumed by the struggle to survive.
“Losing my husband to the fighting has made me more determined to give my children a future. As a mother it is my duty to provide for my family but sometimes I failed them, I could not grow enough food to stop their hunger.”
Life for Lubna and her children has been hard, but this is changing. She was one of the villagers who approached Practical Action looking for support in building a dam to improve irrigation. Earth dams are not a new concept in Sudan, but often these dams were poorly constructed, causing silting and erosion. However, Practical Action introduced some key changes to the dam design so they were more effective and make water available for longer periods:
• Building sluice gates to wash away the silt that deposits upstream
• Pitching the earth embankment to protect it from being washed away
• Introducing a trench below the earth embankment to minimise eroding
Practical Action managed to get funding from the EU, and the villagers also contributed to the building costs. Lubna and the other women in the community provided much of the labour to build the dam. Working with Practical Action, the women and men from Abu Degaise gathered together the stones, gravel and sand for the masonry work.
For Lubna this was a big undertaking “Building the dam was hard but it felt good: working together and watching it take shape stone by stone. When the rains fell we rejoiced, knowing that we would have enough water to survive”.
But now earth dam has been built it will ensure that the short but heavy rains which fall in Darfur could be used for good. Lubna is happy “Now there is water where there was none. My land is good enough to grow sorghum, watermelon and cucumber and I even have enough to sell some at market.”
With a sense of achievement she says, “When I look at the dam I know that my hands helped to make it. Each stone that I carried is strengthening the structure and giving our village the chance to farm our lands once more. I feel pride; I can feed my family through my own hard work and now my children smile.”
