Emergency flood mitigation plan is a wise thing to have now

The government on Friday announced a 78 million dollar emergency flood mitigation plan as the country prepares for the worst floods since independence in 2011.

The development comes after experts earlier warned that the consequences of the Ugandan government releasing water from the flooded Lake Victoria will hit hard South Sudan.

Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General at FAO recently said during her visit to Juba, that the food security situation in the country is expected to worsen due to looming floods predicted to affect the country from June to July, peaking in September that could impact between 600,000 and 3.3 million people, based on varying impact scenarios.

In the past the government was caught unaware without a concrete emergency response plan in the face of floods.

This time to have emergency response funds shows that government has learnt from it’s previous fatal mistakes.

The emergency funds need to be released with oversight of parliament to ensure transparency and accountability.

History has taught that some corrupt officials often look at such financial kitty, as chance to steal some money for them at the expense of thousands of vulnerable citizens.