Gov’t urged to invest in water management to avoid floods

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has urged the government to invest more in water management and early warning practices to protect the population from flooding.

Peter Van der Auweraert, the IOM Chief of Mission in South Sudan, said South Sudan is extremely affected by climate change following the flooding that affected most parts especially Upper Nile, Jonglei, and Warrap states.

“South Sudan is deeply affected by climate change. “We need to invest more in water management and early warning systems, and that needs to be a priority and supported,” Peter said.

 “There is a need to save the dry land as soon as possible and we need to think about the next rainy season. They need to start protecting the dykes by maintaining [them] before the rainy season starts next year,” he added

He made the statement during the Miraya morning show on Tuesday.

Peter emphasised that the flooding in Unity State is not just something coming from the rain but the tributaries of the Nile have not been maintained due to the conflict that forced the water to look for its easiest way to continue to flow, resulting in flooding in the area.

He revealed that 85 per cent of Unity State is underwater and 95 per cent of the population is affected including the breakdown of dykes.

“I have been working in closing the dykes with UNMISS and the roads; dykes need to be repaired and water needs to pump out. Thank the UNMISS we were able to pump the water out and the roads now are passable,” Peter said.

Efforts made

The IOM boss said the state government, in collaboration with UNMISS and the IOM, is currently building emergency dykes to protect the dry land and population in the IDP camps in Bentiu. He said every road in Bentiu has been flooded and the priority of the humanitarian workers is to protect the displaced people.

According to Peter, there are 110, 000 people still living in internally displaced persons’ camps in Bentiu.

“Our biggest fear is that if the camp gets flooded, there will be no place for these people to go. In the meantime, while we [are] battling the effects of the flood, we need to make sure that people in the IDP [camps] in Bentiu have access to basic services, ” he said.

He said Unity State’s Rubkona airstrip and the main road linking the UN base to Rubkona have been cut off by floods.

In October, thousands of people in Unity State were reported to have been displaced to Sudan by the raging floods that have engulfed the area. The State Minister of Information for Unity State, Gabriel Hon Makuei, said an unspecified number of people have continued to cross into Sudan with their livestock on daily basis.

The authorities in Unity State said 1,500 people had been displaced to the highland after the flash floods submerged four payams, including Pakuru, Norpur, Gangi, and Mermer in Koch County.

 The floods also submerged 109 schools, affected an estimated 65,000 students and more than 1,000 teachers across seven counties in the state.