Tshumbe, 27 April, 2020 / 6:02 pm (ACI Africa).
The initiative by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the humanitarian arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), to provide water has been recognized by the inhabitants of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Tshumbe diocese who are beneficiaries of the organization’s drilling of boreholes in the region, a Church official has reported.
“The town of Tshumbe, seat of the diocese of Tshumbe, in the province of Sankuru, has just been equipped with a water supply system. The construction of this water system is fruit of the generosity of the American Catholic faithful through Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the dynamism of Bishop Nicolas Djomo of the Diocese of Tshumbe,” the Chancellor of the diocese of Tshumbe, Fr. Michaël Shosongo Kasendo reported Saturday, April 25.
“This water supply system is the second that the city of Tshumbe has ever seen,” Fr. Kasendo said adding that “this new system replaces an old one put in place by Missionaries, which had only a castle and served only the homes of the clergy, the hospital and a few inhabitants of the Catholic Mission.”
He added, “the consumption of this drinking water contributes effectively to the reduction of water-borne diseases, which have continued to decimate people, especially children.”
While DRC holds 50 percent of Africa’s water reserves, 33 million people in rural parts of the country lack access to quality drinking water, UNICEF reported adding that despite sustained efforts, only 52 percent of the population has access to an improved water source and 29 percent has improved sanitation facilities.
