When Rain Becomes the Water Provider

In 2023, I experienced two moments in and around Zinder, Niger, that profoundly changed the way I think about water security. Both occurred during the rainy season, a period when water appears abundant across the landscape. Yet these experiences revealed a reality often hidden behind statistics: the presence of water does not necessarily mean access to safe drinking water.

The first experience took place in July 2023, during a trip to a village located less than 20

kilometers from Zinder City. After several weeks of rainfall, the environment looked greener than usual. Seasonal ponds and pools of water had formed in many places.

As we travelled along the paved road leading to the village, I noticed groups of people gathered on both sides of the highway. Men, women, and children were filling containers with water from stagnant pools that had formed after the rains.

What immediately attracted my attention was the color of the water. It was reddish-brown, heavily stained by the lateritic soils characteristic of the region. From my perspective, it didnot resemble water that anyone would willingly drink.

Curious, I decided to ask a few people what they intended to do with it. Their answer surprised me. They explained that the water was meant for household consumption. According to them, access to safe water was limited and often insufficient to meet the daily needs of their families. During the rainy season, collecting water from these roadside pools became one of the easiest and fastest ways to obtain water without cost.

Zinder Main Road (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

They told me that after collecting it, they would take it home, store it in containers, allow

sediments to settle, filter it as much as possible, and then use it for drinking and other domestic purposes.

One woman explained that this practice continued throughout most of the rainy season.

Standing beside those pools, I felt a contradiction that I had never fully appreciated before. Water seemed to be everywhere. Yet many people still lacked a reliable source of safe drinking water.

That day, I learned a simple but important lesson that water availability is not the same as water security.

A month later, in August 2023, I encountered another situation that reinforced this lesson. This time, I was in Malan Amar, a neighborhood within Zinder City itself. During my visit, I became thirsty and asked a woman if she could give me a glass of water.

She warmly welcomed me and brought me some. However, when I looked at the glass, I

noticed that the water was cloudy and very different from the clear drinking water I was

accustomed to seeing.

I asked her where the water came from. She replied that it was rainwater collected from the corrugated metal roof of her house during rainfall events. Wanting to understand more, I asked why her family depended on harvested rainwater.

Her answer has remained in my mind ever since.

She explained that their area lacked nearby access to potable water. There was no water standpipe, public tap, borehole, or other reliable water source close to their home. Obtaining treated water often required travelling several kilometers across the city.

For her family, this was a significant burden.

Her husband worked as a school watchman and earned a modest income. The cost of buying water and the time needed to travel long distances to obtain it placed additional pressure on the household.

For them, the rainy season brought relief.

Rainwater could be collected directly at home without payment. It reduced the need for long journeys and helped the family save money. Even though the water was not perfect, it represented an accessible solution during difficult months.

As she spoke, I realized that we were seeing rain from two very different perspectives.

Many people think of rain as a weather event. Farmers may see it as a source of agricultural production. Children may see it as a time to play.

For this woman and her family, however, rain was something more fundamental. Rain was their water provider. The two experiences occurred only weeks apart, yet together they highlighted a powerful paradox. In one case, rural families relied on reddish roadside pools formed by rainfall. In the other, an urban family depended on rainwater harvested from rooftops because safe and affordable alternatives were out of reach.

In both situations, water was present.

In both situations, water security remained uncertain.

These encounters also revealed the resilience of local communities. Faced with limited infrastructure and economic constraints, people develop their own strategies to secure water for daily life. They collect, store, filter, and manage whatever water sources are available to them.

However, resilience should not be mistaken for a permanent solution. No family should have to choose between long and costly journeys for water and relying on potentially unsafe sources. Access to safe drinking water should not depend solely on whether it rains.

Today, when discussions arise about water scarcity, climate change, and sustainable development, I often remember these two experiences from Zinder.

I remember the sight of children carrying containers filled with red-colored water collected beside a road. I remember the woman in Malan Amar offering me a glass of harvested rainwater and explaining how the rainy season eased the burden on her family.

Most importantly, I remember that behind every statistic on water access are real people making difficult decisions every day.

Their stories remind us that water security is not simply about having water. It is about having water that is safe, accessible, affordable, and reliable.

Until that becomes a reality for everyone, the story of water security in many communities remains unfinished.