Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Uganda + 1 more

Clean water for South Sudanese refugees

New well brings clean water to Rhino camp residents

Four months have passed since violence between rebel groups and government forces broke out in South Sudan, but nearly a million people remain displaced by the conflict. The United Nations reports that 708,000 are displaced inside the country, while 200,000 fled to neighboring countries. Of those, 82,000 have sought refuge in camps in Uganda; however, the country was not prepared for the heavy influx of refugees. “The situation in those camps is disastrous, especially because the number of refugees continues to increase,” says Jan Gruß, Malteser International’s South Sudan program manager. “Because of the lack in infrastructure, especially when it comes to water and sanitation, there’s an elevated risk of infections – as residents don’t have access to proper treatment, they could spread quickly.”

In north Uganda’s West Nile region, an area of difficult access, Malteser International is helping residents of the Rhino refugee camp to build a well equipped with a solar-powered pump to replace the existing borehole. Because of the high number of refugees, the water supply has been a major problem in the camp. “It takes a very long time to draw water from the hole, so there are always long lines of people waiting for their turn,” Gruß says. “This increases the conflict potential between the refugees and the local population. The camp needs a well that supplies as many people as possible as quickly as possible.”

The new well will be connected to a high-level tank which will supply several tapping points through a gravity-fed scheme. Malteser International will also cover maintenance costs and offer trainings on the system’s upkeep to the local population. Because of the high demand, the organization is planning to upgrade additional wells with motor pumps.

The conflict has caused the already precarious humanitarian situation in South Sudan to deteriorate. On average, every sixth woman there does not survive her pregnancy; every seventh child dies before his or her fifth birthday, and more than 20 percent of the population is malnourished. 3.1 million people were already in need of humanitarian aid before the violence started.

Malteser International has worked in South Sudan since 1996. Nearly 100 local and ten international staff members have worked to improve health care in the country. Its current programs include primary health care in 24 clinics and the management of a professional school for health care professionals in Rumbek, funded by the European Union.