South Sudan vows to improve water system in Juba
By Ngor Arol Garang
August 31, 2011 (JUBA) – The government of the newly established state of South Sudan on Wednesday pledged its commitment to improve both water and electricity systems in its national and state capitals.
While walking around the streets of Juba, Sudan Tribune observed that many households buy water for flushing toilets and washing from private tankers, and drinking water from private suppliers, predominantly controlled by foreign businessmen.
Those with no room to store water, mainly the poor, pay more for it according to civil society activist Alfred Sebit Duku, who specialises in social development and water-related projects.
“It’s very expensive to buy [water] this way, one day at a time,” said Duku who works as a consultant at the national ministry of Irrigation and Water resources.
“Water flow into residential areas is a big challenge. In Juba, water supply simply doesn’t meet demand. You can still improve a lot of things in order to have better distribution of water”, adds Barnaba Wol Makuac, a hygiene, water and sanitation officer.
In August, South Sudan’s council of ministers passed a resolution approving five million South Sudan Pounds ($1.8m) to the Juba city council to upgrade the capital city of the world’s newest and Africa’s 54th nation.
The city council is also getting support from the World Bank and other donors to help the new country reduce poverty and modernise after decades of civil war.
The Juba water deficit, among other factors, has led the government to estimate it will need to invest about 1.2 billion South Sudan Pounds ($45m) a year over five years on infrastructure, to help the country develop an appropriate level of services.
“The issue of clean drinking water remains one of the priorities of the ministry as part [of the] development plan of the government of South Sudan. So far, we have drawn up plans to address this. It is something in the pipeline as priorities for this year”, Paul Mayom Akec, a minister of irrigation and water resources told journalists on Wednesday.
Minister Akec further added that South Sudan’s government plans to double the capacity of the water treatment plants in the capital to deliver an extra 60 million gallons of water a day to the Juba area.
As part of the international assistance to war damaged country, the World Bank and other partners in collaboration with the Joint Multi Donor Trust Fund and American International Development Agency, have been working with the South Sudan government on a ‘Safe Water’ project.
The project hopes to increase access to safe water and improved sanitation such as toilets, sewage and septic systems, and latrines, in rural and urban areas.
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MINDED.DUDE
South Sudan vows to improve water system in Juba
shut the hell up reporter,
it is 99% of juba residents have no clean water.
Deng Dut
South Sudan vows to improve water system in Juba
Hey reporter, can you please cease from use of cliques like ‘vow’ they do not sounds good. I guess somethings are just statements and not assertive as you put it. Please we do not want exaggerations but reality on the ground. We want media to keep the government on its toe in service delivery to the citizens rather than publishing some cheap statements. How many ‘vows’ had and have been stated out since 2005 till now and nothing much has happened. This people are robbing the nation in the name of S.Sudan. Look at them here in Kenya their sons and daughters are spending our hard earned resources on foreign women/men and living a lavish life, while the majority of the population can not take their children to decent schools but only to be locked in some waste campus like Juba in the name of university with few experienced lecturers. How can a nation spend a large percentage of budget revenue on salary and less on development?
Nguetbuny de Luelpiny
South Sudan vows to improve water system in Juba
Goss is run foolishly, with the greedness
GOSS is getting run by big belly who are pocketing public money with no accountability. Water,electric power,clinics,school and civil service are the first thing GOSS should put them to work.
Nguetbuny