FOR one week now Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been experiencing a water shortage which has forced residents to recycle water from polluted sources. Sources at the Water Production and Distribution Board suggested the water crisis was due to a shortage of chlorine, a chemical used to treat potable water. Visiting a water recycling plant in Kinshasa, energy minister Babi Mbayi said the situation will get back to normal Thursday. “We are facing a difficult problem,” he admitted, recalling that five months ago the board sent out a distress signal on the water situation in Kinshasa. “The situation in the business sector is also serious from whatever angle you look at it,” Mbayi added. He said the government should allocate the board $2,5-million to buy chlorine, but cannot do so due to the ongoing war in the country that broke out in early August.