Southern Sudan and World Bank sign $30M water deal


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Southern Sudan has received 30 million US dollars from the World Bank to enable the eastern African country provide safe clean water to its citizens.

According to an official from southern Sudan water department, Gerome
Longwa, the World Bank, which administers the Multi-Donor Trust Fund
for Southern Sudan, and the Government of Southern Sudan have signed
the Grant Agreement for Water and Sanitation Project.

The money will be used in water reservoir construction, drilling of new boreholes, and providing piped water to most of the towns. “Clean and safe water is a rare commodity in most of the communities in southern Sudan. We are going to use that money to provide water to our people. Part of the money will also be used to construct latrines in schools and health centers,’ Longwa said. He also promised that water borne diseases will be greatly reduced if the clean water is provided.

Signing the Grant Agreement for Water and Sanitation Project, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, David Deng told the World Bank representative in Southern Sudan, Laurence Clarke that the money will go a long way in solving southern Sudan water problems.

Southern Sudan, which underwent an over 20 years of civil war has been
hit by water problems since the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement which brought peace to the country.

During the war, most of the water points were destroyed. This resulted in many people fleeing to exile in neighboring countries. And ever since the signing of the agreement, thousands of people have been returning to their villages and living there without most of the social services. Villagers have been drawing water from unattended wells and streams. A phenomenon that has led to rampant cases of waterborne diseases in the country.

“We are happy that we are now going to get clean safe water that will reduce all the diseases caused by dirty and unsafe water,” Sarah Abiga, a housewife and mother of six, told Afrik-news.com.

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