AfDB approves water supply grant in South Sudan

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a $5.4m grant for an assessment study of a water supply and sanitation programme for towns in South Sudan.

The financial assistance, extended from the bank’s fragile states facility, is expected to benefit around 170,000 people living in 11 small and medium-sized towns.

Low levels of access to safe and potable water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene awareness have been the principal causes of water-related diseases in South Sudan, such as diarrhea, cholera and guinea-worm.

The grant will finance a feasibility study and detailed designs for water supply and sanitation infrastructure facilities in the selected towns.

In addition, the study will also cover aspects of water resources management, knowledge management and capacity building among local institutions as well as facilities for monitoring and evaluation.

The study is anticipated to be completed in September 2015 and its outcome will be used to finance and implement project documents for the selected towns in the country.

AfDB said that the knowledge generated from the study will enrich its continued learning process and its support to African countries, especially in fragile states.