JUBA—South Sudan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has inspected the Lologo Water Treatment Plant in Juba to assess its capacity to expand piped water supply to additional neighbourhoods in the capital, where many residents rely on private water tankers.
The inspection, conducted on November 9, was led by Sultan Lam Tungwar Kueigwong, the ministry’s undersecretary, and focused on the plant’s treatment capacity and distribution network to determine whether it could serve additional areas without disrupting water supply to existing customers.
According to Lam, the plant currently serves areas including Jondoru, Protection of Civilians (POC) sites 1, 2 and 3, west of the capital, and Munuki.
“This visit is part of the broader Presidential Compact on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (June 2024), which mandates the government to transition from fragmented, project-based interventions to a systematic, state-led expansion of safe water access in urban centers,” Lam said.
The assessment focused on the facility’s power supply, raw water intake, treatment capacity, backup systems and the condition of primary and secondary water distribution networks.
“A water treatment plant is only as reliable as its energy supply and its distribution network. We examined raw water intake, treatment capacity, power back-up systems, and the integrity of the primary and secondary distribution lines.”
The inspection comes as Juba continues to face challenges in providing reliable piped water to the rapidly growing population, many of whom depend on private water vendors and tanker deliveries.
According to a World Bank assessment of service delivery in South Sudan, 77 percent of surveyed households in Juba relied on water tankers for their supply. The study also raised concerns about water quality, reporting that some vendors sold untreated water pumped directly from the Nile.
A 2026 South Sudan Urbanization Review also reported that the South Sudan Urban Water Corporation’s network covers only about 30 percent of Juba’s population. It also found that supply constraints limit water distribution through the network to approximately 12 hours a day.
The reliance on private suppliers has also exposed residents to interruptions when tanker operators suspend deliveries over fuel costs and disagreements about water prices.
In October 2024, residents in parts of Juba experienced water shortages after tanker operators halted deliveries in protest against reduced prices imposed by the Juba City Council. Some households reported going several days without water.
Under the Juba City Water Connectivity Plan, the government is pursuing a phased expansion of water infrastructure to improve access to treated water across the capital.
Lam said the first phase involves the operationalization of the Lologo Water Connectivity System, while the second phase will focus on a new central treatment facility.
“Phase One: Operationalization of the Lologo Water Connectivity System, currently serving over 200,000 people in southern and central Juba. Phase Two: Construction and operationalization of the Juba Central Water Treatment Plant, designed to serve over 500,000 people and to close the supply gap in the northern and western corridors of the city.”
He did not disclose where and when the new facility would be started.
Lam said the plan is being implemented under the Presidential Compact on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, signed in June 2024.
According to the ministry, the Lologo plant has been operational since 2022, with support from UNICEF and Germany’s development bank, KfW. It initially supplied treated water to approximately 35,000 people through a network of 18 water kiosks serving displaced and host communities.
Lam said the government also intends to reduce dependence on humanitarian and off-budget financing by introducing more sustainable funding arrangements for urban water services.
“Juba cannot sustain water services on humanitarian, off-budget financing. The strategy demands a gradual shift towards statutory budget lines for MWRI, transparent tariff and cost-recovery frameworks for urban utilities, and leveraging of climate adaptation and infrastructure funds. Lologo is the test case for this transition.”
He warned that damage to pipelines, valves and water kiosks could undermine the sustainability of the water supply system despite investments in treatment facilities.
Other officials in the inspections include Joseph Dut Kuoi, General Manager of the South Sudan Urban Water Corporation (SSUWC) and officials from the German Embassy, UNICEF representatives and senior technical staff from the ministry.
