Changai Wollof Village faces insufficient water supply
By Sulayman Waan
Residents of Changai Wollof Village in Sami District, Central River Region North of The Gambia have bitterly complained of inadequate water supply over the past years.
Changai Wollof, a village of over 60 homes and 85 households had shared a borehole with Changai Toro, a neighboring community. Changai Wollof has only three taps from that borehole.
It does not have sufficient water supply as several women often draw water from a local well that has been existing in the village for more than three decades.
The well is approximately 55 meters deep and women have to pull a 30 liters container of water from the well to get water for drinking and domestic usage.
The distance from the well to some homes is more than 100 meters. Therefore, the women have to carry 20-litre gallons of water to their homes on daily basis.
Speaking to this medium, Mamat Khan, son of the village head said the community is facing severe water constraints.
“Access to sufficient water supply have been our problem over the past years. The borehole we have is too small for the community. Several women depend on the well to get drinkable water,” he said.
He added: “The village is big and there are only three taps in the community. It is not enough at all. Majority of the residents depends on the well to get water.”
Fatou Ceesay, a resident said the community is currently challenged with the water shortage. “We often spent several hours at the well just to get two or three gallons of water for a whole family. This is hectic and the water is not enough,” she said.
Moving forward, she said the residents, most especially women are in a horrible situation, noting that they have to carry heavy containers of water on their heads from the well to their homes.
“This is too hard for us, particularly the pregnant and old women,” she lamented.
Habsa Jobe, a 60-year-old woman also complaining about the lack of access to sufficient water supply.
“The village is big and the source of water is poor. Sometime, I have to spent much time at the well without getting enough water.”
“Access to water is definitely difficult in this village. Every day, I have to struggle to get water for my family,” she said.
She revealed that sometimes the residents find it difficult to get enough water to wash their clothes.
However, they all called on the government, non-governmental organizations and philanthropists to come to their aid so that the community has access to sufficient water supply.
SW/COB/06/04/25
