Water: A key element for stability and health in communities facing an insecure and changing world

Access to clean, safe water is a fundamental part of any effort toward providing a stable and healthy life for communities impacted by conflict and climate change. In South Sudan, a partnership between IFRC, the EU and the South Sudan Red Cross offers a case in point.

For more than a decade now, the people South Sudan have faced enormous hardships caused by on-going internal conflict, mass displacement and a series of climate-related disasters that have paradoxically brought both extended droughts and intense rainfall.

“In 2019, a third of the country was under water, with all the consequences that entails,” says Bonface Okotch, water and sanitation expert for the Dutch Red Cross in South Sudan. Since then, communities across large swaths of the county have periodically been completely inundated and displaced, their crops and livelihoods ruined.

The county of Aweil South in northern South Sudan is one area heavily affected by cyclic flooding and violence, as well as an influx of refugees fleeing violence across the country’s northern border with Sudan.

At the same time, water and sanitation coverage in the country is low – less than 10 per cent have access to improved sanitation and 42 per cent do not have access to reliable, safe and sustainable water sources.

This not only leaves the population vulnerable to infectious diseases, it means people spend an inordinate amount of time getting water from far away sources. This takes away from other essentials such as education, livelihoods and food production that bring health and stability to families and communities.

A peaceful and sustainable future

One ongoing project is addressing this dynamic. In partnership with the European Union (EU), the IFRC, the South Sudan Red Cross and the Dutch Red Cross have been able to reduce the impact of flooding and droughts, while building resilience so that people can continue to recover from future setbacks.

As part of the project, known as the Programmatic Partnership, the South Sudan Red Cross has played a central role in rehabilitating water facilities while also building new ones that are designed to be sustainable over the long term, says Abdallah Bennet, a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) expert for the South Sudan Red Cross.

“In certain areas, communities face challenges due to limited access to clean water, particularly during flooding,” he says. “Upgrading hand pumps to solar systems is a key aspect of our work. Through the Programmatic Partnership project, we’re addressing these challenges with sustainable solutions.

“We empower local communities by training pump mechanics and water-use committees, ensuring they can manage and maintain water points effectively themselves,” he says. “Water is life. It is fundamental for life itself. Without it, nothing goes on.”

The South Sudan Red Cross has also trained volunteers on hygiene promotion (handwashing, safe handling of water and food, construction and use of toilets, communication skills, among other things) so they can conduct house-to-house, hygiene- promotion visits.

But that’s not all. “People in the communities are trained to assess weather risks, monitor water levels and take rapid action if the community is at risk,” says Bonface. “During emergencies, they strengthen dikes, clear drainage channels and provide assistance to vulnerable groups.”

The work being done in Aweil is just one example of how access to safe water – along with other other coordinated efforts to minimize risks – plays a critical role in stabilizing the health of communities facing multiple threats.

As the humanitarian world marks World Water Week, which this year promotes the theme of Bridging Borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future, this project offers an example of the collaborative efforts needed if vulnerable communities are to enjoy a peaceful and sustainable future.

After the installation of the water facilities in South Aweil, for example, the community has witnessed a significant improvement in the well-being and community health, according to the South Soudan Red cross.

“I am very happy that Red Cross installed the water yard in our community,” says Abu Adub, a local resident in the village Gakrol in Aweil South . “People are using it a lot. Near the hand pump, it’s always crowded. This has led to a decrease in diseases such as diarrhea, especially among children and the elderly.”

Proximity to safe water sources allows for more time for other household tasks, such as caring for children.

“Before, when we had no water yard, we used to drink from the well and it was not good for our health,” Abu continues. “When we had no water, our children used to take a bath (in the well) late at night. We used to fetch water from the well over there, and also from the river. It used to take a long time to get the water. At least two hours.

“Since the Red Cross supported us with the handpump, the children can take a bath earlier and then go home.”

Adut Wek, who lives in Gakrol, in the Aweil region, shared a similar story. “Before, when we drank water from the river, we used to get stomach aches,” says Adut. “Since we have the water yard, we don’t have any waterborne diseases anymore. The main challenge now is that some people live far away and still don’t have water.”

More information about the Programmatic Partnership and IFRC’s work providing safe water:

The Health, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) support available in Aweil is supported by the Programmatic Partnership between the IFRC network and the European Union. The partnership provides strategic, flexible, long-term and predictable funding, so that National Societies can act before a crisis or health emergency occurs. It is being implemented in 24 countries around the world.