Lucia turns on the tap for the first time in her life

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Tambura, Western Equatoria State – Like most children in Tambura, Lucia Miongo, a 5-year old girl, is fetching water from a protected Mamenze spring located between two hills in Tambura County, Western Equatoria, South Sudan.  Too little and weak to climb up and down the hill with a five-gallon jug of water and growing up in this impoverished agricultural community of numbered dusty roads and mango orchards, Lucia has learned a harsh life lesson: “You don’t fetch water!” — “Don’t drink the water!”

I showed Lucia the water supply scheme under construction by World Vision South Sudan whose work started last December and expected to deliver its first ever product – clean tap water by end of February 2013.  She is so excited to learn that one of the water taps will be installed near her home.  “ I can’t wait to turn on the tap for the first time in my life.  That will ease my work of fetching water from a difficult location,” she said.

“Lack of access to safe drinking water, together with inadequate sanitation and hygiene, is the overwhelming contributor to many deaths among children in this area.  The World Vision project will help reduce water-borne diseases in our community,” John Mabrouk Khamis, Senior Inspector at the Department of Water in Western Equatoria, says. 

Joyce Alsafana, a 40 year old lady, couldn’t hide her joy.  “ I always rise at five in the morning to come and fetch water.  I spend lots of time at the water spring because this is the only source of water we have and always leave my husband and children alone.  With the WV SS project, I am happy I will be spending more time with my family and do other chores,” Alsafana concluded.

This project that is funded by the Government of Australia, known as the Mamenze Springs water scheme will serve Bagare, Hi Israel and Yubu villages in Tambura East Boma.The targeted population is 9,375 people (Bagare village with 2250, Hi Israel 4015 and Yubu 3110).  The Mamenze spring – the only source of water for the proposed scheme – produces an average of 5.60 m3/hr or 136 m3 /day). Average house hold income per month is 572 SSP (South Sudan pounds). Of this amount, an average of SSP 14 is spent every month on purchasing water.