Images of the quest for water in Antananarivo: a trying daily life for residents
The situation in Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar, has become critical in terms of access to drinking water. Indeed, the night has become synonymous with the search for water for many residents of the city. A reality that puts a strain on their nerves, already exhausted by daily difficulties. Despite the start of the rainy season, water still does not flow into the taps, leaving the poorest in a precarious situation.
In Andraisoro, a district of Antananarivo, people have been queuing for hours to fill their yellow cans. The rules of equity are in force, everyone has the right to fill one container at a time, while waiting until their neighbors have done the same. This process can take up to six hours to fill six cans, and the wait is often long and frustrating.
Jacqueline, a resident of Andraisoro, expresses her despair in the face of this situation: “We are suffering from it, we are suffering from it, because we have been waiting since 8 p.m. Sometimes the water doesn’t arrive until midnight and we can only fill one container per person. And sometimes there is nothing, so we stay up until the early hours! “. Her fatigue is palpable, as she also has to earn a living selling dried fish at the market during the day to meet her dietary needs. In the past, the water flowed regularly at night, but it has now been a year since the situation became unbearable.
This nocturnal quest for water is not limited to a problem of access to drinking water, it also leads to disputes between residents, exacerbating the tensions already present. Permanent uncertainty about water availability, lack of sleep and increasing difficulties create an explosive cocktail.
Faced with these precarious living conditions, the imminent presidential election does not worry the inhabitants of Antananarivo much. Jacqueline says: “I don’t have time to think about anything else. Propaganda, demonstrations, all that is not my priority. Because I am already so tired of fighting every day for my survival…”.
In another district of the city, Nanisana, Célestine, a water carrier, stacks empty cans while the fountain still does not flow. She explains that she is too busy finding money to feed her family and that she does not have time to learn about the presidential candidates.
The reality is the same for Madame Perle, who sells her vegetables next to empty cans. She deplores the drop in her income and the poverty which affects more and more people. For her, politicians are only concerned with maintaining their power, and the little people are ignored.
It is clear that the presidential campaign is far from being the major concern of the inhabitants of Antananarivo. Their priority is to find drinking water, meet their basic needs and survive on a daily basis. A sad reality which highlights the urgency of resolving the water access crisis in the capital of Madagascar.