China, South Sudan sign agreement on borehole drilling, water supply project implementation

JUBA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China and South Sudan on Friday signed an agreement on the implementation of a China-aided borehole drilling and water supply project that will improve access to clean and safe water for local communities.

"This project will focus on borehole drilling for water supply in village-level small population gathering areas and town-level large population gathering areas in South Sudan," said Ma Qiang, Chinese ambassador to South Sudan. "It will provide reliable clean water for the local people, help to prevent water-borne diseases and protect the health of local residents, improve the living conditions and promote the development of agricultural production."

South Sudan Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Pal Mai Deng said the water project will see 32 normal wells and 15 tube wells with hand pumps established in the Central Equatorial state and neighboring Lakes state.

"Once we have this implementation in place, I am sure that most of the problems regarding water shortage in those locations will definitely be reduced," the minister said at the signing ceremony in Juba, the South Sudanese capital.

Mai said the project demonstrates strong cooperation between the two countries.

"It's a great pleasure that the government of China has been very supportive. It is not only with this project that China has been generous," he said.

Other projects supported by China include the construction of hospitals, schools, the modernization of South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation facilities, the expansion and modernization of Juba International Airport, and the construction of the Jur River Bridge in Wau, a city in northwestern South Sudan.

In August 2019, the two governments signed the exchange of notes on the water project, paving the way for its implementation, which is expected to start in the second half of 2023.