Water Shortage Undermines Ebola Response in DR Congo Mining Town

In the gold-mining town of Mongbwalu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ituri province, a severe shortage of clean water is hampering efforts to contain the ongoing Ebola outbreak. Residents, already grappling with the deadly virus, are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain basic hygiene standards.

Every day, residents walk several kilometres to a natural spring, carrying plastic containers to collect water. Many families cannot afford the cost of public water taps, and local groundwater is often contaminated by runoff from nearby mining operations. This financial strain forces residents to rely on the free spring water, even if it means long journeys.

"Three water jugs cost 1,000 francs. If you have 10 jugs at home and only 1,000 francs left, plus children to feed, what do you do? That financial pressure is what forces us to walk miles every day to collect free spring water," said Francoise Ididi, a local resident.

According to the aid organisation Oxfam, only one in five of Mongbwalu's 140,000 residents has reliable access to safe water. Every drop must be carefully rationed between cooking, drinking, and cleaning, leaving little for handwashing—a key measure in preventing Ebola transmission.

"During this Ebola outbreak, it's important to wash your hands regularly. But if water is hard to find, or if there isn't enough water in the household, it's difficult to protect yourself against this disease," said Isaac Lure, another resident.

The crisis extends to public spaces. At the central market, where hundreds gather daily, sanitation facilities are scarce. Vendors report that there are no handwashing stations or sanitisers available, forcing them to go the entire day without washing their hands.

"There are no hand washing stations and no sanitizers here. We go the entire day without washing our hands unless we did so at home. The authorities need to take action, because the rule right now is to wash your hands," said Neema Mave, a market vendor.

While some NGOs have set up water tanks, the crisis is compounded by small-scale gold mining, which exposes thousands of vulnerable workers to contaminated water daily. Public health experts warn that water scarcity is accelerating the health emergency, as residents make do with whatever little water they can source.