United Nations Radio

Drinking water and access to health care are top priorities for people who are returning to their areas of origin in South Sudan, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

water flowing from spigot

In a report issued today, IOM says access to water is the biggest problem with almost a quarter of assessed villages relying on river water as their main source.

IOM says that another 60 per cent of villages rely on water fetched from hand pumps and wells but maintenance of these pumps is extremely poor.

The report identifies lack of access to health care as the second major concern with only 20 per cent of the villages having some healthcare facilities.

IOM says there are few or no qualified health personnel in South Sudan.

According to IOM, more than one and a half million internally displaced people have returned to Southern Sudan since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 which ended the war between North and South Sudan.

Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.

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