President Salva Kiir Mayardit has launched the largest water supply project which will provide safe and clean drinking water to more than 25,000 people in Juba.
Speaking during the commissioning of the water supply in Juba on Thursday, President Kiir said the water facility will provide clean drinking water to one-third of the Juba population.
“This new water facility of 10,800 cubic meters (m3) will increase juba’s daily water supply capacity from 7,200 m3 to 18,000 m3, a level enough to provide to more than one-third of Juba’s population,” Kiir stated.
He said maintenance of this water facility remains a major challenge to the government.
“The main change we faced when projects of this nature are handover to the government by development agencies is the issue of sustainability. The challenge in front of us now is how we will maintain the water supply system we have received today for the benefit of Juba residents.
“We dying of taste when we are sitting on the Nile, the famous Nile was not able to provide us with water although it is just running day and night,” he explained.
He directed the ministry of Water Resource and Irrigation to resort efforts to effectively manage operate and maintain the water supply system.
The project which costs 47.8 million U.S dollars was commissioned at John Garang Mausoleum in Juba on Thursday under the theme “Safe and Clean Drinking Water”.
The plan funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) included not only a new water treatment plant but also water distribution networks.
Pal Mai Deng, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation commended the Japanese government for supplying Juba with water.
“We are thankful to the government of Japan, and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for their continued supply and commitment to providing safe and clean drinking water to our citizens in Juba,” Mai said.
