No Rain in South Africa

 SENEKAL, South Africa — Many faded and old umbrellas bounce above a long line of people. The umbrellas are not being used as protection against rain, but against the sun. Some farmers in South Africa are calling this the worst drought they have seen. The rain stopped coming and water stopped flowing into the taps in some people's homes months ago.

South Africa is a country at the southern end of Africa. Over 50 million people live there. Due to the drought, many farmers have stopped planting their crops. Wildlife has disappeared. Even simple drinking water has become rare in some areas.

Lawmakers have found a way to get water to these people. They are sending trucks full of water to the towns that do not have any.

Driver Says Lines Are "Heartbreaking"

Salman Seeday drives one of these water trucks. He has delivered water to the South African town of Senekal. He said people ran toward the arriving trucks. The people grabbed the water bottles that were offered and drank all the water very quickly.

Seeday said over 2,000 people lined up for the water in less than three minutes. He said it was "heartbreaking" to see so many thirsty people. He added, "What you see there will bring tears to your eyes.”

Some people wait all day in these lines for water. Some even begin lining up the night before. Not everyone is able to get all the water they need. Vinus Nkala is a mother of three children who lives near Senekal. Nkala is 36 years old. She has seen fistfights and screaming matches break out over water in the lines.

"Muddy" Water Not Safe To Drink

Even worse, not all the water is clean. The water provided by some towns is “muddy” instead of clear. The muddy water made some children sick. People became afraid to drink it.

One driver has been trucking water given out by South African companies. He goes by the name Theba. His company brought more than 26,000 gallons of water to Senekal on Thursday. A long line formed instantly.

“We needed to get water to people as quickly as possible," Theba said. He knows that driving water across the country is not the best way to give them water. However, he also knows that "the people need water now.”

Some Say Government Didn't Plan Well

Maduna Nkosama says that he has "never seen anything like this." Nkosama is 27 years old and from Senekal. His family of nine was too poor to buy water. Instead, they have been relying on water provided by their town, even though they question where this water came from.

“That water is not good enough, especially for the kids. Some kids have been getting sick,” Nkosama said.

Some people blame the South African government for the problems caused by this drought. These people think the government should have built better ways to store and move water across the country. Other people blame the towns for not having better answers to these problems.