In the town of Beni, in North Kivu, a crisis situation has been raging for several days. In fact, more than two thirds of the city’s inhabitants find themselves without access to drinking water provided by Regideso. This shortage is due to several factors, including work to modernize urban roads carried out by the construction company Vihumbira, as well as breakdowns at the Tuha water treatment plant.
The neighborhoods most affected by this situation are Malepe, Residential and Matonge, where the water pipes were cut, thus disrupting the Regideso distribution network. Residents of these neighborhoods find themselves forced to scour the city in search of drinking water, a difficult task for many families.
This crisis has significant repercussions on the daily life of the inhabitants of Beni, particularly on health services. A sick guard in a local hospital expresses her dismay at this situation: “We come from Fomeca where we have patients in the hospital and now we are running out of water. The water pipes were cut for the work of reprofiling the urban roads and yet the water was flowing very well.”
Regideso, faced with these problems, is trying to find solutions to supply certain neighborhoods with drinking water. The head of the Regideso Beni center, Jules Meny, explains that efforts are being made despite the difficulties encountered, including breakdowns of generators and damage to water pipes caused by road modernization work.
This water crisis in Beni raises many questions about the management of water resources in the region, as well as the coordination between the different actors involved. It is essential to find sustainable solutions to guarantee equitable access to drinking water for all city residents.