A woman arriving her house after fetching water in Boma State

Authorities in Boma say women are getting raped while fetching water amidst drought in the state.

State officials say dozens of bore holes were destroyed during the civil war.

They say as the women are the ones responsible for water supplies, they walk painful hours to nearest pumps.

“Water is a big challenge in Boma state. In some counties like Gumuruk, women travel 7, 8 or 9 hours to get clean water only to get 20 liters of water.

Lydia Agolory, the state minister of gender was quoted by the UK-based online newspaper, Independent as saying, “on the way, they are getting many challenges. Some of them are raped on the way.”

According to UN reports, nearly 80 per cent of the country has no access to clean water.