Floods displace over 1.3 million people: UN

By Awan Achiek

At least more than 1.3 million people have been displaced from their homes due to heavy flooding, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday.

OCHA said in brief update that 42 counties in South Sudan including the disputed Abyei Administrative Area have been badly affected by floods, adding that about half of the affected population is located in Jonglei and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states.

It disclosed that 327,000 individuals were displaced in 18 counties including the Abyei Administrative Area.

OCHA noted that according to the joint government and interagency assessments carried out last week, some 230,000 people in Jonglei, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile states are greatly affected.

OCHA said that the displaced populations are seeking refuge on higher ground with heavy rains making it increasingly difficult to deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need.

It added that heavy rainfall and flooding have rendered 15 major supply routes impassable, significantly restricting access to the affected areas.

South Sudan with a population of more than 11 million people has experienced the worst floods since independence in 2011.

The current floods are due to the rise in the water level of Lake Victoria, the largest Lake in the region.

The States mostly hit hard by the floods include Jonglei, Lakes, Unity, Upper Nile and Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Abyei Administrative Area.

In July 2024, the cabinet approved 78 million U.S dollars under its emergency flood preparedness and response plan to mitigate the impact of looming floods on livelihoods and infrastructure across the country.

The funds are meant to enhance the country’s ability to prepare for anticipated disasters.

October 3, 2024, cabinet endorsed declaration of the ongoing heavy floods a national disaster.