Hygienically safe drinking water is just as difficult to find in South Sudan as basic sanitation. The facilities which existed were either destroyed during the war or are derelict due to lack of maintenance. Even in the few urban areas, the quality of the drinking water supplied is questionable. The South Sudanese who do not draw water from rivers and lakes can if need be rely on fountains equipped with hand pumps. But roughly half of the hand pumps installed stop working after a few years because they were not operated properly or were not serviced.
The South Sudanese government estimates that only one third of the ten million inhabitants have access to hygienically safe drinking water, while only 15 % have access to sanitary facilities. It is not sure whether these low figures are in fact correct, but one thing is clear: the situation has worsened again since the renewed outbreak of civil war. Planned projects cannot be implemented because the regions affected are too unsafe. The government is also struggling to find the funds even to fulfil the most basic of tasks.
In spite of these difficult circumstances, KfW Development Bank, on behalf of the German government, is supporting South Sudanese municipalities in the southern part of the country with the construction of a sustainable water supply for roughly 20,000 people. This will provide hygienically safe drinking water and basic sanitation particularly for the poor in the municipalities concerned, and the systems will be run by the municipalities themselves.
