Over 700,000 endangered by floods- UNHCR

An estimated 700,000 people in South Sudan have been affected by floods, the United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) report said.

In the wake of last month’s heavy rains, floods swept several homes and farmlands across the states and most people were forced to relocate to nearby high lands.

In a briefing to United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday, the UNHCR Country Representative to South Sudan, Arafat Jamal, said the impact of climate change which resulted in flooding has worsened the conditions of communities. He said the victims are already struggling to get basic needs and rights to water, food, livelihoods, land, and a healthy environment are hitting hard. 

He revealed that about 1,000 displaced persons by the recent floods in Upper Nile State had walked days before they arrived at higher grounds where they sought safety.

“In Upper Nile State alone, UNHCR teams met around 1,000 people who had walked for seven days to reach Malakal town. Women, children, and elderly people arrived exhausted and hungry. Some had not eaten in days. Others are marooned on islands surrounded by water, sheltering under trees and unable to cross to safety,” Jamal told a UN briefing in Geneva.

The UNHCR chief said the recent floods have affected four states in South Sudan even in some areas where communities have not seen flooding to this year’s extent since 1962.

“As the worst flooding in decades impacts over 700,000 people across South Sudan, the UN Refugee Agency is alarmed by the critical needs facing the most vulnerable,” said Jamal.

Jamal called for a more concerted effort to help families rebuild their livelihoods and adapt to the relentless and intensifying effects of climate change.

“The flooding not only triggers immediate humanitarian crises but will reverberate through the coming year as entire planting seasons are lost,” Jamal warned.

More to be done

He acknowledged the effort of the government of South Sudan to respond to flood in the country as communities who are affected also continue to show resilience to the situation.

“Local governments are also working to alleviate suffering within the communities including building dykes, installing systems to pump out floodwaters, and to redirect excess water through canals,” he said.

Early this month, the government approved $10 million to help the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management provide support to flood-affected people across the country.

Yesterday, the government launched the construction of a permanent dyke in Jonglei State as one of the worse flood-affected states.