The Comoros: Moroni residents struggle amid water shortages

In southern Moroni, Kaouthara wakes up before dawn every day in the hopes of getting water from one of the few communal water points in her district.

"I wish our authorities would find a solution to the water shortages. If I can’t get water here, I’m forced to buy it. Before, a jerrycan would cost 30 cents, now it’s 50. How are we supposed to cope when everyday life itself has become so difficult?," she says.

Fellow Moroni resident Ben does not bother turning off his taps at home, since authorities only provide water roughly every three weeks.

"The water comes every 15 to 20 days for a maximum of an hour, very late at night. We leave the taps open in anticipation. When the water comes on, we call each other to let everyone know so we can fill all our containers," Ben says.

According to experts, part of the issue is that the pumping station was designed when the population of Moroni was much smaller than what it is today.

Bakri El Yahya, representative of the Progeau programme, which works with the government to improve access to water, says, "The pumping station is a bit outdated; it was created in the late seventies, with funding from the European Union, and then after that, from the seventies to today, the population increased, people's habits also changed. For Moroni, let’s say now, according to statistical data, there are about 150,000 inhabitants.''

This director of a water company says there are potential solutions, but they’re by no means a quick fix.

Abdillah Mze Al, Technical Director of the water company "SONEDE", says, "There are short-term solutions put in place by the new company director, so it’s trying to unplug the systems that supply the sectors of Moroni and outside of Moroni; we’re going to untangle them, so to try to supply the population, as well as medium-term projects, as I told you, it’s an average of 4 years, so he will install new infrastructure that will be up to par with the population of the capital and its surroundings."

Across the Indian Ocean country, where 45 percent of the population live below the poverty line, the cost of water is high.