Aid group Medair handed over two water treatment systems in Payuer and Wonthow in South Sudan's Upper Nile state to local communities and governments.

Medair had been operating the water treatment facilities in recent years to provide people in the Renk area with filtered and disinfected water, the group said in a statement.

The treatement system in Payuer will now be run by the Renk Department of Sanitation, the Payuer waystation committee, and Renk county. The one in Wonthow will be run by the Geiger Payam and local community.

Medair said: "Having these filtering systems in place makes a real difference to the people, greatly reducing the exposure to life-threatening diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera."

Willem van Amerongen, Deputy Country Director at Medair South Sudan, said the group trained local people to maintain the water treatement systems after Medair leaves.

There was singing, dancing, food, and speeches at the handover ceremony.

Photo: Handover ceremony ©Medair/Sintayehu Legasse