Access to water in Southern Sudan

* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Oxfam’s repairs of water pumps in remote areas of southern Sudan mean less fighting, less disease and more children reguarly going to school. Oxfam technicians repair a damaged hand pump in Pathuon West. Photo: Oxfam “I used to fight. If I hadn’t fought, my family would have had nothing to drink,” said Arek Mondeng, a 13-year-old girl from southern Sudan, when asked about her experience fetching water from other villages.   Her village in Toch West, Gogrial East, Warrap State is located in a forested area where access to portable water is a problem. When the only hand pump in her community was broken, people collected water from other villages, which are more than an hour away. Local residents, mostly women and girls like Arek, used to fight because everyone wanted to fetch first from a single hand pump. Host communities usually prefer to serve their members before people from other villages. This situation warmed the atmosphere in the water points, which inevitably resulted to women fighting each other. “Today, I do not need to fight just to get water for my family. The hand pump in our community is already repaired. I can attend school classes regularly,” says Arek. The hand pump in Chur village is one of 14 repaired hand humps from a list of 64 to be repaired by the Oxfam’s Water and Sanitation team in at least 60 remote communities. Disease, fighting and insecurity In the village of Jarmou in Toch East, when their hand pump was damaged women had no option but to fetch water from the ponds and river, which are often contaminated by flood water. The mothers reported that their children often got diarrhoea when they collected water from these sources. Aside from the torment of walking very far, catching diarrhoea, and fighting at water points, women face dangers along the bush in the quest for drinking water. Women and girls, who are traditionally responsible for collecting water, are afraid of their security while traveling in the forest. Awut Majok, a mother of six, said she feels happy being a member of the water management committee in her village in Jarmou. “Through our training we can sustain our hand pump and we will manage to repair it when damaged,” she said. Repairing and building pumps “Most of the water management committees at village level are no longer functional,” said Evarest Ochola, Oxfam Water and Sanitation Officer. “We are reactivating these structures and we give them necessary skills training for them to manage and sustain water points.” According to Evarest, aside from the repair of the existing hand pumps, Oxfam is planning to drill 15 hand pumps in vulnerable villages. Oxfam is working closely with the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department (RWSSD) of the government to address the issues on water access. Oliver Mou, the County Director of the RWSSD, expressed that Oxfam intervention on water is of great help to the department in addressing the gaps and issues on access to water. He believes that, gradually, water-related problems will soon be addressed, especially as NGOs and government agencies are collaborating and complementing each others’ activities. During her field visit to the project sites, Oxfam Country Director for South Sudan Sara Karimbhoy appreciated the efforts of the water and sanitation staff in accessing remote communities to bring portable water closer to the people. According to her, water is a basic element to maintain health and improve people’s living conditions. Where we work: Sudan More Oxfam success stories Make a regular donation to Oxfam’s work More from the Oxfam Press Office at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/news