A consortium of development partners has revealed that plans are underway to ensure a stable water supply to Juba City and its environs.
On Wednesday, Central Equatoria State Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony met with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Deputy Head of Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to discuss ways of ensuring that the Lologo water plant achieves its ultimate objectives.
Initial reports indicate that the clean supply plant project will soon be completed and that partners like UNICEF and GIZ are waiting to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to commission the water supply.
Speaking to the press after the meeting in Juba, Hamida Lasseko, UNICEF Country Representative, reaffirmed her organization’s commitment to support the Juba water supply plan.
This will be done with support from the Germany Development Agency and other partners.
“We need to ensure that the water reaches the people, IDPs but also to other communities, and how this can be operated, and the governor was so much committed to making sure that this is going to be in action soon. The next stage is that we will have the agreement signed, and we will be able to start providing water to the people,” Hamida said.
Meanwhile, Dr Bjorn Niere, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany in the country reiterated their readiness to expand the water treatment project through UNICEF and other partners to maximize its full potential of supplying over 100,000 people in Juba with clean water.
“The water treatment plant in Lologo is capable of supplying water to more than 100,000 people in Juba. At the moment, it is supplying water to 30,000 people in the IDP camps, and we are looking forward to expanding the water treatment plant operation through UNICEF and partners,” Dr Bjorn said.
For his part, the Central Equatoria State Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony commended the fundamental role of UNICEF and Germany in supporting clean drinking water, sanitation, education and other developmental projects.
Supply of clean water in the nation’s capital, Juba, has been a big problem for the residents with the recent hiking of water rates by the Juba City Council, something that has raised eyebrows among the people, but such a project from UNICEF and GIZ, it shall be of a great benefit to people like those in the IDP camps and those areas that lack enough clean water supply.