At least 50 people have died in Somalia after drinking contaminated water from a well in northern Mogadishu , an official in that East African country said Thursday . Osman Mohamed , the deputy commissioner for Somalia 's Yaqshid district , told CNN about the deaths among those who drank from the newly constructed well . More than 150 people who had water from that well were recently hospitalized . Hawo Abdi , a mother of four , told CNN that her 8-year-old child is among those who died after drinking the contaminated water . While access to drinkable water has improved in recent years , it still remains a major and sometimes deadly problem in some places . That 's especially true in parts of Africa , and even more so in Somalia , which has some of the lowest rates of water coverage in the world . The United Nations reports that 115 people die every hour in Africa from diseases linked to inferior sanitation , poor hygiene and contaminated water . Of course , available quality drinking water is just one of several pressing issues in Somalia . The country is also dealing with persistent violence , much of it linked to the militant group Al-Shabaab . It was not immediately clear how the water that led to the recent deaths got contaminated , including whether anyone or any group might be responsible .
More than 150 are hospitalized after drinking tainted water from a newly constructed well . Score: 6 Access to quality drinking water is a big problem in Somalia and other parts of Africa .