The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the World Food Program signed an agreement on the management and utilization of water for irrigation and food production.
The Memorandum of Understanding – signed in Juba on Tuesday aims to enhance the management of water resources, drive food system transformation and strengthen resilience and climate adaptation in the country.
Emmanuel Lado Parmenas, the Undersecretary at the Water Ministry says the initiative will help mitigate and minimize the effects of flooding.
Lado says the three-year agreement will start with an assessment and studies of areas impacted by floods across the country, to determine and design the projects.
“WFP through the process of giving services to the people, have been constructing water management infrastructures such as dykes and roads,”
“Dykes are also converted into roads so that they can be able to access the communities and at the same time some remote communities are accessible through waterways,
“We will work together in the management of water resources so that the effects of flooding are mitigated and minimized. We need to work together in order to give services to the people of this country.”
For his part, Harald Mannhardt, the Acting Deputy Country Director, World Food Program says the agency will work together with the ministry to promote sustainable development.
He says the humanitarian collaboration with the ministry will strengthen resilience and adaptation to climate disasters in communities.
“The integrated water resource management is crucial for enabling humanitarian assistance in enhancing livelihoods and supporting food systems and strengthening the community to the resilience of shocks and connectivity of various levels,” said Mannhardt.
“Irrigation is also a key component of what the ministry does, and WFP supports food systems. Both will ultimately support food security for the communities, and we have to support those.”