VZCZCXRO2110
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0564/01 1011449
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111449Z APR 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6791
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000564 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W 
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP 
NAIROBI FOR SFO 
NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, AND TSHORTLEY 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SU
SUBJECT: SOUTHERN SUDAN - USAID WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE 
SECTOR ASSESSMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00000564  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  (U) To facilitate the development of a USAID water, sanitation, 
and hygiene (WASH) strategy for FY 2007, USAID/Sudan and USAID 
Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) staff 
recently assessed USAID-funded WASH interventions in Southern Sudan. 
 The assessment team reported that USAID WASH programs have 
increased access to water points; however, some emergency drinking 
water interventions have proven difficult to maintain.  Without a 
standardized Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) water policy in 
place, many investments in the water sector will not be sustainable. 
 End summary. 
 
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Background 
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¶2.  (U) From February 2 to 18, a USAID/OFDA technical advisor and a 
USAID/OFDA Southern Sudan program manager traveled to Northern Bahr 
el Ghazal, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, and Lakes states to 
evaluate the effectiveness of USAID WASH programs in providing 
essential WASH services and mitigating local conflict over water 
resources.  The team met with USAID partners and state and local 
officials in rural towns and potential returnee locations.  Since FY 
2002 USAID/OFDA has provided more than USD 41 million for WASH 
programs in Southern Sudan.  The USAID team traveled with technical 
experts from PACT, Inc., USAID/OFDA's largest WASH implementing 
partner in Southern Sudan.  Expectations for lasting peace and 
development are high in Southern Sudan and significant numbers of 
internally displaced persons (IDPs) from within Sudan, predominately 
from the Khartoum area, and refugees from neighboring countries have 
begun returning to the region. 
 
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WASH Sector Confronts Challenges 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) To date, limited international donor development assistance 
has focused on the water sector.  International and non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs) have approached WASH programming from a relief 
perspective and with limited coordination.  In FY 2005, USAID/OFDA 
shifted from directly funding multiple NGO water partners to 
supporting a limited number of organizations to implement multiple 
projects under a more coordinated management structure.  This has 
yielded positive results at the local level increasing the number of 
new and rehabilitated water points.  However, the limited capacity 
of newly formed Southern Sudanese government structures, the absence 
of a GOSS water policy to govern payment fees and the management of 
water points, and the undefined roles of the private and public 
sectors in water service delivery are significant challenges to 
improving and sustaining safe water services. 
 
¶4.  (U) Some emergency drinking water interventions in Southern 
Sudan, including hand pumps and motorized and solar pump systems, 
have proven difficult to maintain.  Village water committees, 
cost-recovery mechanisms, and localized spare parts warehousing 
systems have had varying success, and overall uncertainty regarding 
management and ownership responsibilities has undermined water 
service quality and maintenance in some areas.  To facilitate 
Southern Sudan's transition from emergency assistance to long-term 
development, a reduced dependence on outside donor funding and an 
increased role for regional, state, and county governments, as well 
as the private sector is needed.  A strong GOSS water policy to 
assist management capacity at all government levels, including GOSS, 
state, and county levels would enhance efforts to increase the 
sustainability of water sector interventions.  USAID understands 
that the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) is 
supporting this process by funding the U.N. Children's Fund 
(UNICEF), Save the Children/UK, and the Overseas Development 
Institute to work with the GOSS Ministry of Water Resources and 
Irrigation and the Ministry of Cooperatives and Rural Development to 
draft a GOSS Regional Water Policy. 
 
¶5.  (U) The major USAID/OFDA water partners, including PACT, have 
focused primarily on drilling and water point management to meet 
emergency safe water needs.  Hygiene and sanitation programs that 
include water storage practices and behavioral aspects, such as hand 
washing and safe latrine usage, are increasing and should continue 
to be encouraged.  As returnees settle and community populations 
increase, hygiene promotion and sanitation interventions at the 
 
KHARTOUM 00000564  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
household level will be critical for better health. 
 
¶6.  (U) USAID/OFDA's water conflict-mitigation strategy, which 
includes rain catchment systems to reduce tensions surrounding water 
access among pastoralists, has yielded mixed results.  Rain 
catchment projects for livestock water points have worked well in 
northern Sudan.  However, the practice of employing local labor has 
had less success in many parts of the south primarily due to soil 
structure, which is less suitable for manual labor. USAID/OFDA 
believes a mechanized approach may be more appropriate for project 
sites in southern regions. 
 
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Comment: Recommendations 
------------------------ 
 
¶7.  (U) USAID should use its influence with other donors, U.N. 
agencies, and international NGOs already engaged in supporting the 
development of a GOSS water policy to ensure that the policy defines 
roles and responsibilities of the different GOSS ministries and 
offices at regional, state, and county levels.  A sound GOSS 
regional water policy would facilitate the integration of existing 
infrastructure and the coordination of current and future projects. 
 
 
¶8.  (U) USAID/OFDA should continue to invest in safe water 
activities with immediate impact in areas of high returns.  Emphasis 
on low cost, sustainable water provision, including hand-dug wells 
where possible, and the protection of natural water sources should 
be encouraged.  This is particularly important in light of the 
expected increase in the number of returnees over the next two 
years.  The USAID team visited a number of locally constructed, 
rural, hand-dug wells that represented a practical and sustainable 
approach to increase safe water access that could serve as models 
for future projects. 
 
¶9.  (U) USAID WASH investments in the installation of new boreholes 
equipped with hand pumps or motorized and solar pump systems should 
be pursued to enhance safe water access when drawing from deep 
aquifers or serving large populations. 
 
¶10.  (U) As returns increase, hygiene promotion activities and low 
cost sanitation infrastructure programs should play a prominent role 
in USAID WASH programming and should include interventions at the 
household level. 
 
¶11.  (U) In collaboration with all levels of government, USAID 
should continue to support rainwater catchment projects that provide 
water for cattle in seasonally dry zones to reduce conflict among 
pastoralists. 
 
¶12.  (U) USAID/OFDA will continue to work with USAID/Sudan to 
explore possibilities for further coordination and transition in the 
WASH sector. 
 
HUME