South Sudan’s Perspective: In South Sudan, Clean Water is a Pathway to Stability
A Presidential Compact leads to a 13-fold budget increase for water and sanitation in the world’s youngest nation.
WHEN SOUTH SUDAN ACHIEVED INDEPENDENCE IN 2011 AFTER YEARS OF ARMED CONFLICT, its leaders recognized water and sanitation as critical building blocks for the nation’s future. That conviction was written into the country’s Transitional Constitution and first development plan, positioning access to these basic services as drivers for peace and stability.
More than a decade later, that early conviction is being put to the test. Approximately 59 percent of the South Sudanese population lacks access to safe drinking water, while only 42 percent have access to “basic sanitation” – facilities that safely dispose of human waste.
Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Now, change may be under way. In 2025, the world’s youngest nation approved a 13-fold budget increase for the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) — from 2.1 billion South Sudanese pounds to over 28 billion. The move signals more than a fiscal change. It’s a bid to break a long-standing cycle of fragility, with water underpinning South Sudan's goals for stability.
“Improving access to clean water and sanitation is crucial for South Sudan’s development,” said Peter Mahal, Undersecretary at the MWRI. “Take for example waterborne diseases, like cholera, which is endemic here – when people are sick, they can’t work or go to school, and families are driven deeper into poverty by medical bills. It’s an emergency that undermines our whole economy and society.”
The budget increase follows a significant political commitment made the previous year: in 2024, South Sudan became one of the first countries to sign a Presidential Compact on Water and Sanitation, backed by the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership, UNICEF, and other global and local partners. The Compact outlines concrete commitments to increase investment, strengthen governance and fast-track critical projects. With President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s signature on the Compact, there is now political will behind the mission.
AN INCREASE IN WATER AND SANITATION FUNDING
That high-level endorsement helped unlock funding throughout multiple rounds of interdepartmental negotiations, said Andrew Yunda, the ministry’s director of planning. “We were able to say: ‘look, the leadership has made it clear that water and sanitation are core priorities, now we need the money to carry out the work that needs to be done’.”
Ninety percent of the new budget is earmarked for capital investment. Mobile vehicle units, fitted with water point repair equipment and water quality testing kits, will be a central focus of the department’s spending, Yunda said. Additional finances will be channeled to “rehabilitating water supply and sanitation facilities in highly populated areas and communities hit hard by floods and communal violence.” The plan is to build a more resilient system, with facilities placed above the flood line and accessible even during emergencies.
To support the scale-up, the ministry will hire 188 new technical staff in areas such as water resource management and rural water supply and sanitation — a critical move as the sector has seen a steady drain of talent to international NGOs and the oil and gas sector in recent years.
The changes come not a moment too soon.
In 2021, floods affected an estimated 1.2 million people in South Sudan and caused $671 million in damages. Last year’s rains displaced nearly half a million more, submerging clean water sources and leaving host communities — already home to 1.1 million internally displaced people — with even fewer resources.
"In many areas, flooding and communal violence have led to large-scale relocation," Mahal said. "This puts enormous pressure on host communities, especially when it comes to resources like clean water. Improving access and building stronger infrastructure allows these communities to better cope with the influx and foster stability.”
POLITICAL WILL MATTERS
South Sudan’s Presidential Compact is part of the Heads of State Initiatives (HoSI), a global effort backed by the Government of the Netherlands, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UNICEF, SWA, IRC WASH and WaterAid, in collaboration with local partners. HoSI supports presidents and prime ministers who are committed to investing in water and sanitation systems as a foundation for long-term stability. These initiatives are gaining traction globally, including in regions facing fragility and inequality.
That link between water and peace is shaping how South Sudan – and a growing number of fragile states – approach development. Investments in water and sanitation are increasingly seen as investments in strengthening communities, reducing tensions and delivering essential services that restore trust in public institutions.
“Our motto at the ministry is that ‘water is for life and development, and sanitation and hygiene are for healthy and productive citizens’,” said Yunda. “When people have water for their livelihoods, they’re healthy, they can produce. This defines what stability is.”
