By William Kolong Pioth, Vancouver, Canada.
Northern Bahr-El-Ghazal (NBEG) is one of ten states of south Sudan, a region which attained its semi-autonomous status in January 2005 after the signing of a peace agreement dubbed Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Southern Sudan just got out of 22 years of a bloody military conflict between the North Sudan dominated successive regimes and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army, a rebel group dominated by the people of Southern Sudan. The conflict, which claimed an estimated number of 2.5 million people, ended on January 9th, 2005 through a political settlement.
As a country getting out of a long and destructive war, South Sudan needs to be reconstructed and rehabilitated in almost every field. Among the pressing challenges facing South Sudan is lack of clean water. Water shortage is posing a major problem to the State of NBEG but there is no immediate solution in sight. There are numerous consequences associated with water shortage in NBEG as it is else where in the South and include but not limited to the following:
· Water borne diseases
The State of NBEG is virtually without clean water, people rely on dirty pool water which is heavily contaminated. When people drink this dirty water, many of them get sick from various kinds of water borne diseases.
The state of NBEG has one of the highest death rates in the whole of South Sudan and water borne diseases are directly responsible for a large portion of these deaths. Equally worth adding is the fact that the state lacks equipped medical facilities to help address these health challenges. The only equipped clinic available in the state was closed down in March 2007 when Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) pulled out of the state after their mandate expired.
· Lack of equipment for digging water wells or boreholes.
Villages in NBEG depend on pool water the during rainy season and water wells during dry session. Water wells are basically open pits dug into the ground until the water level is reached. Water derived from such wells is not only dirty, it is also scarce.
Since these wells are open, they easily accumulate different kinds of water and wind borne contaminants responsible for many diseases. But that is not the only problem; water wells are also difficult to dig since the local people do not have facilities necessary for digging these wells. Essentially, people have to travel long distances to fetch water for their families.
· Alarming rate of school dropouts as a result of lack of water.
As in other parts of South Sudan, water shortage is also having a dramatic effect on the education of children in NBEG. Parents send their children to fetch water which is usually located hours away from home. Therefore, many children end up not going to school as they have to help their aging parents who can not longer afford to travel such lengthy distances in search of water.
Moreover, water has also become a major business enterprise in the state of NBEG. Instead of going to school, children choose to engage in water business by fetching water and taking it to the local market where they sell it so as to be able to buy a day’s meal for their families. This situation can only be addressed by providing clean water to people so that water is available to everyone.
Water Boys: Long Line up for people waiting for rationed water.
· Scarcity of water in towns
As of 2005 when CPA was signed, a couple of NGOs have gone to the state and have provided a small number of water pumps. The few water pumps which they provided are usually located in towns leaving the rural communities without clean water.
Besides, water pumps in town are not enough for the people living in towns as well. It takes people many hours of waiting before getting water. The government of NBEG, like most other state governments, is simply overwhelmed by the problems facing the state. There is so much work that needs immediate attention and so it is almost inconceivable that the government of NBEG, which has few resources, would provide clean water to the population in the near future.
Possible solution:
Considering the situation highlighted above, members of Northern Bahr-El-Ghazal State residing in British Columbia, Canada, have started a water project to try to raise funds to enable them provide water pumps to the state of Northern Bahr-El-Ghazal.
One or two water pumps in a given village would save a lot of lives. It takes at least $12,000 to provide one water pump. Those wishing to help financially are urged to support this vital cause. Besides, persons or organizations wishing to join this noble project and become active participants are strongly encouraged to so. Thank you in advance for your support.
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