South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
Gladys Faida Joseph, 18, used to trek miles to fetch water from the nearby Kineti River which was the only source of water for many families in Torit town of Eastern Equatoria State.
The water from the Kineti River was not safe for drinking since animals drunk from the same River.
Now Faida and her family are relieved from the pain of moving long distances to access water, following the launching of two modern water supply systems built by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) with funding from the German government.
Faida told The Dawn on Monday, that the new water system has impacted the lives of girls; mothers and children who used to spend hours carrying water from the river to their homes.
“The water from this river is often dirty and frequently caused waterborne diseases like cholera,” she said.
Faida said that prior to the rehabilitation of the water system; they usually set off with their buckets often walking several miles across the sandy soil of Torit town to fetch water.
“Sometimes I used to fetch six or seven jerry cans, and three would remain for storage and then use four jerry cans for cooking and drinking, washing clothes and dishes, cleaning the houses and bathing,” she disclosed.
The rehabilitated water system built at a cost of two million dollars includes two boreholes equipped with solar-powered submersible pumps.
It has 25-kilometer pipeline distribution network, and an additional 500 cubic meter storage, and a powered solar system which has enabled more than 45,000 residents of Torit town to access safe water.
Asha Mickig Hassan, 30, who runs a local restaurant, said the water collection points eased the burden on her business.
The mother of five, said she now get up early in the wee hours of every morning to fetch water at Kiosk NK 4 just 2 minutes’ walk from her restaurant.
She added that access to clean water has now reduced the cost of treating water that she previously fetched from River Kineti.
“Before the coming of this water project, we used to fetch from Kineti River but the water has been brought near to us,” Mickig said.
She expressed her gratitude to the UNICEF and the German government for bringing water close to them.
Anna Abau Abahala, a 20-year-old candidate at Airport View Senior Secondary School, expressed joy upon the handover of the water supply system to the community.
She disclosed that the project has lifted a heavy burden on several school girls whose attendance in school was being compromised due to the time spent on fetching water in the Kineti River.
Abau who hails from Infwanyak in Nyong Payam of Torit County, said she and other girls in the neighborhood used to arrive late for school, adding that the presence of the new water supply system has ended this.
“When I try to compare the current situation and the past, I find that we spent more time walking long distance to fetch water from the river which meant we arrived to school very late,”
The impact of the solar-powered water system is also evident in the kiosk management sector.
Baraka Ayuru, Water Operator at Kiosk NK 4 in Malakia, said residents are happy and he is also earning some money.
“It has helped me to add into what I already have, I work in this water point to support my family,” Ayuru said.
The water kiosk attendant now earns about SSP 2,500 daily from the Torit Water Supply and Sanitation Company.
The rehabilitation of the water supply system has ensured access to safe water to more than 80 percent of the town’s population.
Augustine Penantovic, a 23-year-old cyclist has ventured into business of selling water and he is now earning about 1,500 SSP from selling 7 jerry cans of water.
Penantovic said he has been this business for the past three years, but he says the new water supply system has eased business.
He said he can move 10 to 15 trips daily depending on customers demand, adding that the more trips he makes, the more money he earns.
Francis Ohia, Managing Director of Torit Water Supply and Sanitation Company said the water system produces 200 m3 per day supplying 75 percent of town’s population.
Ohia said the water supply system has 33 kiosks, 42 domestic connections, 9 commercials and 11 institutional connections.
“We have 10 public water stand posts with powered solar lamps which are equipped with rapid water dispensers to be accessed on self-service basis,” he said.
Ohia said they are training their technicians to sustain the operation of the water supply system for the next three years.
The rehabilitation and expansion work commenced with phase 1 in November 2022, which upgraded the water treatment plant.
By June 2023, phase 2 had restored the water supply and installed solar panels, generators, and tanks.
Hamida Lasseko, UNICEF Representative in South Sudan said that the beneficiaries are mostly women and children.
“The water project is already providing safe and sustainable water for more than 40,000 people here in Torit,” Lasseko said.
Christian Sedat, German Ambassador to South Sudan disclosed that the German government has been supporting South Sudan for many years.
“Our support to urban water supply system now stands at a total of more than 20 million Euros,” Sedat said.
He noted that the German government has supported the establishment of water supply systems in Juba, Yambio and Yei.
For her part, Mary Nadio Lodira, Deputy Governor of Eastern Equatoria hailed UNICEF and the German Embassy for providing clean drinking water to the population.
“This has actually reduced the level of problems with women. You know we women are multipurpose people, women here used to fetch water from far away but now they are getting water from nearby,” Lodira said.
