the
URBAN EXPERIENCE
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Image by Balazs Gardi
Image by Umar sheriff habibullah
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
The relatively small urban and peri-urban population in South Sudan faces needs quite different from the rural population.
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While small aggregations of people exist, none are larger than Juba, a city of 400,000. As a result, municipal services are often poorly developed.
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Solutions for urban spaces ought to combine services rendered at the community level with city-wide services.
Orangi Township & Awami Tanks
Karachi faces many of the same issues as Juba, though on a much larger scale, and one particular solution well-adapted to Juba is the solution devised by Orangi Township, a low-income neighborhood within Karachi.
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The solution devised is that of Awami tanks, concrete reservoirs of water serving only a few households apiece. These Awami tanks are filled by water tankers such as the one seen at right.
Image by کراچی
Image by Aslamjihan
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
The system used in Orangi Town has many benefits. The water can be sanitized and distributed relatively close to the point of use. No infrastructure other than roads is required. Minimal federal investment is necessary to provide for the operation of the trucks.
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Moreover, communities grow to feel ownership over their Awami tanks and thus contribute to their upkeep, solving a primary problem of sustainability.
Public-Private Partnerships
Combining public and private control of urban water systems can confer many benefits. Private companies tend to pursue excellence of a service to compete with one another, but often provide water only for the wealthy.
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On the other hand, public organizations tend to be extremely equitable, but are slow to respond to need. By combining the two, a happy medium can be found.
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However, it is imperative that the public organization be the 'face' of the water system, or the government may lose legitimacy in the eyes of its citizens, especially in such a fledgling republic as South Sudan.
Image by JennaCB123
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en