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Eritrea: Water on their minds

17 Jun 2009

ASMARA: Doran Ali Osman, administrator of Rahaita, one of the most southerly villages on Eritrea's Red Sea coast, zips up his jacket as the wind tugs at his clothes. He has water on his mind. The villagers, who depend on fish, crops and livestock farming to earn a living, have to cope with less and less rainfall.

The fog collector in Gahtelai, a village in the Northern Red Sea Region © Jaspreet Kindra/IRIN

The village lies about 90km south of Assab, capital of Eritrea's Southern Red Sea Region, in one of the hottest places on earth, where temperatures soar beyond 40 degrees Celsius.

Water for daily use is pumped out of wells by diesel-powered generators, but Eritrea imports all its fuel, making diesel an expensive option. A few years ago the government helped the village set up a solar-powered generator, "But there are days when the clouds cover the sun," said Osman.

Read the full article on IRIN.