Water Ministry signs agreement with UNOPS to procure flood mitigation supplies

By Simon Deng

The National Ministry of Water and Irrigation signed an agreement on Friday with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to procure essential flood mitigation supplies for the counties of Bor and Fangak in Jonglei state and Pibor in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. 

Peter Malual Dhieu Akat, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, said during the signing ceremony in Juba that this agreement will help half of the nearly 900,000 people affected by floods in the 38 counties across the country.

 “We urge UNOPS to expedite addressing the issue of flooding that has already devastated farms, addressing this current scenario affecting our population adding to the hardship that most of our people are facing,” Dhieu said.

The agreement, valued at over $299,000, is part of the World Bank-financed Regional Climate Resilience Project (RCRP) for Eastern and Southern Africa, which the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is implementing. UNOPS will oversee the procurement and timely delivery of flood mitigation supplies, coordinating closely with the Ministry and local authorities. This effort will continue through February 2025.

Leslie Mhara, the Program Coordinator (Head of Programs) for UNOPS in South Sudan, said the contract is a critical milestone in their consistent partnership with the government of South Sudan particularly the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.

Mhara said that the project will see the government leading in flood mitigation, adding that UNOPS is committed to facilitating quality and sustainable procurement and infrastructure investment to mitigate the effect of climate change.

“The floods have already affected 50 percent of the counties and over 700,000 households across South Sudan, we have to put mitigatory measures as well as preparatory measures to reduce the impacts of such unforeseen event,” he disclosed.

In June 2024, UNOPS successfully procured and delivered vehicles to support the Regional Climate Resilience Project. In July 2024, UNOPS concluded the Enhancing Community Resilience and Local Governance Phase 1 Project (ECRP 1), which saw the construction of 258 water facilities across 20 counties.