By Albert González Farran

Techinicians from UNEP and the Government of Sudan monitor a water pump in Abu Shouk camp for Internally Displaced Persons, North Darfur. Photo by Albert González Farran

The scarcity of water is commonly known as one of the most significant environmental challenges in Darfur, and is frequently cited as one of the root causes of conflicts on the local level. The average water consumption in the camps for internally displaced people in North Darfur is around 10 litres per person per day, a quantity that not only includes domestic consumption but is also used for other activities, such as brick fabrication.
"We can't prevent displaced families from using the water for these activities," says Mr. Ahmed Maniese, a consultant in the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), referring to the uses of the scarce drinking water for economic activities. "But we try to convince them of the importance of taking extra care of water sources."
UNEP has partnered with hydrogeologists from the Sudanese Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in a programme called “Integrated Water Resources Management in Darfur”. The programme is designed to establish ways to manage water in the region more efficiently and to counter the depletion of the scarce resource in IDP camps and major towns throughout Darfur. The project entails groundwater monitoring, the construction of water harvesting infrastructure (carried out in cooperation with UNOPS), the development of community-based drought preparedness plans and advocacy work for more sustainable resource use.
World Environment Day is marked annually on 5 June and this year's theme is "Think, eat, save". Water is also considered a non-renewable resource that needs to be sustainably consumed. The United Nations General Assembly declared the period 2005 to 2015 the “Water for Life” International Decade for Action.

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