The United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the Islamic Council Worldwide today handed over a solar powered water facility to a community in the Gurei suburb of Nyarkenyi Payam, Juba County.

The water project, which started in January, has two distribution points with each point having six outlet tapes.

The facility is meant to supply water to an estimated 550 households of 9,600 people residing in the community, according to UNMISS Engineer Rajeeb Twayan.

Mr. Twayan said that the solar power facility would pump water to its two tanks of 5,000 liters each, at the rate of 32,000 liters per hour from its source yield.

The water containers, which are fitted six meters above the ground, are being supplied by a power of 960 watts generated from six solar panels of 160 watts each.

Instead of pumping for 24 hours, the pump works for only 15 hours, allowing it to rest for the remaining nine hours per day thereby increasing its longevity.

The pumps work on a glove valve, an automated switch system, in that once the volume of the water runs low, the pump switches itself on and vice-versa.

Speaking during the handover, UNMISS Relief Reintegration and Protection Officer, Lauro Okello, said that the project would serve as a conflict preventive measure, as it would protect residents from inherent fights resulting from scarcity water resources.

Mr. Okello then cautioned the community against mishandling of the facility, urging them to use it with maximum care.

“I do not want to hear (later) that the facility is no longer working because one solar panel has been removed,” Mr. Okello said.

The Head of Juba Field Office, John Ugolo, said that the UNMISS was committed to supporting the South Sudanese population as its ‘Partner for Peace’.

He advised the community members to embrace the spirit of togetherness and co-existence rather than fight or quarrel over the water facility. “You have to own and run it,” Mr. Ugolo stressed.

To allow for good management of the facility, the Islamic Relief, which is the implementing partner on this project, had trained a total of 16 community leaders - eight women and eight men – to help look after and repair any technical fault that might develop in the future.

He asked all stakeholders in the area to contribute modestly to the sustenance of the water facility.

 “When people give you food, they have not done the ultimate thing….but your vehicle (the body) will keep going when you get water,” said Jackson Lomeling, a Gurei area community leader.

A female representative, Joyce Abraham, said that the first challenge her community had faced as they settled in the area since 2008 was a lack of water.

Ms. Joyce said that this had forced the area dwellers to drink from nearby streams and waterlogged areas leading to typhoid and cholera and both are preventable diseases.

She said that now the community had every reason to celebrate because they no longer suffer from the same conditions.