DEADLY DIG FOR WATER

East Africa kids in fight to survive as riverbeds run dry

- ANDY LINES 

CHILDREN carefully scoop water from the bottom of holes they have dug deep in the scorched riverbed.

They tip the precious liquid into white and yellow containers ready for their mums to take home. Without it they will die.

The water may contain deadly cholera but it's their only chance.

At this time of the year the River Baragoi in northern Kenya is usually in full flow and villagers have long used it for drinking, cooking and washing. But not any more. In villages near the town of Baragoi, locals now have to dig to find the water they need to survive - and it can be dangerous work.

In one community four people stood on each other's shoulders to pass water up. But the hole collapsed, killing them.

Waterholes used for centuries have either dried up or become disease-ridden puddles.

Anna Leaburia, 82, is painfully thin. She remembers the time when water was plentiful.

She said: "I'm an old woman and I've never seen a situation like this.

When we were young there was plenty of water and food. It's terrible. It's the worst ever.

"Times have changed so much. I only eat one meal a day and never any meat. Our people are suffering." East Africa is facing its worst drought since the Live Aid appeal in 1985, with 140 million people struggling to survive.

One person dies every 30 seconds due to the devastating drought.