In the dusty streets of N’Djamena, children run between puddles left by the rare rains. A few kilometers away, women patiently wait their turn at a well, jerrycan in hand. Water, here, is not just a vital necessity. It has become a strategic issue, an economic lever, and sometimes, a factor of tension or peace.
A scarce resource in an arid country
Chad, a vast landlocked country in the heart of Africa, is one of the most affected by drought and desertification. More than 60% of its territory is classified as desert or semi-arid. Lake Chad, once one of the largest freshwater reservoirs on the continent, has seen its surface area drop by 90% since the 1960s.
“We depend entirely on the lake for irrigation and fishing. But it recedes every year,” says Mahamat, a fisherman in Bol. “Our nets are often empty. Some leave for the city, others fight over what remains.”
This scarcity of water endangers food security, livestock, agriculture, and fuels internal migration. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), more than 40% of Chad’s population does not have access to a reliable source of drinking water.
An engine of economic development
Yet, water could be far more than a problem: it can become an opportunity. Irrigated agriculture, still marginal, represents an immense potential. Pilot projects in the south of the country have demonstrated that with regular access to water, agricultural yields can quadruple.
“We installed a solar irrigation system in our village,” explains Aïssatou, a farmer in the Logone region. “Before, we harvested once a year. Now, it’s three times. We sell at the market, we send our children to school.”
The government, with the support of international partners, has launched several integrated water management programs. The PROSEPA project, for example, aims to build 150 boreholes and rehabilitate water supply networks in rural areas. The goal: to reduce the distances traveled by women and improve agricultural productivity.
Tensions around water points
But water, when scarce, can also divide. In some regions of central and northern Chad, clashes between nomadic herders and sedentary farmers are multiplying. The lack of water and pastureland pushes the former to encroach on cultivated land, triggering sometimes deadly conflicts.
“My brother died because of a well,” recounts Halima, a resident of the Batha region. “Two groups wanted to use it at the same time. Knives came out. It became a clan war.”
These tensions, often exacerbated by the absence of local authorities or mediation mechanisms, undermine social cohesion. According to International Crisis Group, more than 200 people were killed in conflicts related to water and pastureland in Chad between 2021 and 2023.
Local initiatives for peace
Faced with this reality, community initiatives are emerging. In Guéra, a water management committee, composed equally of herders and farmers, has been set up to regulate access to wells and ponds.
“We meet every week. We decide who can use which water point, and when,” explains Moussa, the committee’s chairman. “Since then, there have been no more fights. We talk together, we understand each other.”
These local governance mechanisms, supported by NGOs such as Oxfam and CCFD-Terre Solidaire, show that water can also be a vehicle for dialogue and reconciliation. Where it once divided, it can now bring people together.
The challenge of urbanization
In cities, water becomes another challenge. In N’Djamena, the capital, the population has doubled in twenty years, reaching nearly 1.5 million inhabitants. The drinking water network, outdated and undersized, cannot keep up with the pace.
“We get water once every two days. And even then, it is sometimes cloudy,” laments Fatimé, a resident of the Gassi neighborhood. “We are forced to buy containers at 500 francs CFA. It’s too expensive for us.”
The Société Tchadienne des Eaux (STE), responsible for distribution, faces technical losses estimated at more than 40%. Modernization projects are underway, but funding is lacking, as are technical capacities.
According to the World Bank, more than 150 million dollars would need to be invested over ten years to ensure universal access to drinking water in urban areas in Chad.
Toward water diplomacy?
Finally, water is also becoming a geopolitical issue. The Lake Chad basin is shared among four countries: Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon. All depend on this reservoir for their agriculture, fishing, and domestic consumption.
In 2021, a joint initiative was launched to revitalize the lake through a water transfer project from the Congo River. A monumental project, estimated at more than 14 billion dollars, which divides experts but reflects the strategic importance of this resource.
“Water is our future. If we do not cooperate, we will all sink,” declared Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the African Union Commission, at a summit in Abuja. “But if we unite our forces, water can become a bridge between our peoples.”
In Chad, water is far more than a vital liquid. It is at the heart of hopes, struggles, and transformations. And what if, in this country of contrasts, it were to become a tool for lasting peace?
