Citizens in Torit on Wednesday protested against high water prices and dirty water being sold to consumers in the town.
They told Radio Emmanuel that the water sold to local citizens is not treated, putting the population at risk of contracting diseases such as stomach ache and diarrhoea among others.
Sibelda Agis, a resident of Hai Mission Residential Area in Torit said she use to buy a barrel of water at three hundred South Sudanese Pounds and currently sold at four hundred pounds.
She called on water sellers to reduce the price of water so as to allow families have access to clean and safe water.
‘For sure we are now buying this water in a high price before we were buying at three hundred pounds and now we are buying at four hundred pounds and yet it is still not helping, this water is very dirty, it is not clean this water when you are buying, you may go look for chlorine so as to pour there so that you may drink. It brings stomach ache. It brings diarrhoea to children especially in the weather of this time. Many children complain of stomach pain, of stomach pain so we say may be is the problem of water’, Agis complained.
The resident appealed to the state government to quickly intervene in addressing the issue of water in the town.
She surprised why prices of water is increased when it is freely fetch from River Kineiti.
‘ We only want the government to look at this problem especially the problem of water let them see because they are not buying any water from the river but they are bringing for free the price they have given is really not fair because there is poverty the government should look at this very well’, he urged.
Meanwhile Susan Abwala Simon, another resident of Hai Morwari, called on the government and humanitarian organizations to build and repair broken water points such as taps and boreholes.
She explained that she travels a distant to fetch water for her family
Abwala said ‘we need help from the government so as to move from place to place they should look on ways of repairing taps, boreholes we are tired there is no taps taps are repaired taps get spoil it last like one to two three months people are tired people go to the river to go look for boreholes in another place it will bring problems to people’.
Radio Emmanuel met Torit State Director for Water and Sanitation for comment, but declined to talk for fear of security reasons.