Enough is enough. There has been a lack of water in the Amboditsiry district for many months. User facilities have not been properly powered for far too long, to the point of arousing the anger of the residents of this neighborhood in the fifth arrondissement of Antananarivo. Thursday evening, the population of Amboditsiry demonstrated in front of one of the main fountains in this district, loudly shouting their fed up while brandishing banners and posters with incisive messages addressed to Jirama. “This is beyond bearable limits!” The taps have been hopelessly dry in our home for almost nine months now, while several blocks away, a thin trickle of water previously flowed for two or three hours during the night. In recent months, there has not been a single drop of water, neither during the day nor at night. says this resident of Amboditsiry, struggling to contain her anger at the situation. “We have shown great patience throughout this time, despite the impacts of this situation, including the mental, physical and financial burden”. Users are forced to resort to the services of water seekers and the famous yellow cans to draw water from standpipes in neighboring neighborhoods.
Thursday evening, shortly after the start of the demonstration, the police arrived on the scene and the demonstrators were dispersed with tear gas grenades. Around 8:30 p.m., a tanker truck was dispatched to the scene to try to calm the situation. An emergency solution which does not satisfy angry users, who want a lasting solution to their problem. Yesterday, banners and posters reappeared, specifying that users “need water and not police officers or EMMOREG”!
The water shortage in Amboditsiry is far from being an isolated case. The problem of drinking water supply in Antananarivo, which is well known, tends to spread and intensify. Ambohipo, among others, has been suffering from it for more than a year.
Hanitra R.
