South Sudan: Close to half a million people displaced by floods in Warrap state

JUBA— A report by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) in South Sudan’s Warrap State disclosed that over 400,000 people have been affected by floods in the state.

The survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that out of the estimated 1,222,673 population, 416,166 individuals from 69,361 households have been displaced by deluges.

The Warrap State Relief and Rehabilitation Commission executive director, Ayom Mawien, told Radio Tamazuj over the weekend that 34 percent of the projected population of Warrap state has been affected by floods.

“We have received two reports from the counties. One is primary data reports which were submitted to our office by county RRC coordinators and I would call this data primary because we use it as the basis for the real assessment,” he said. “The secondary data report is made when we go jointly with our humanitarian partners to counties to assess and verify the primary data obtained. So far so we have reports from five counties.”

According to Mawien, Gogrial East County, at 66 percent, recorded the highest number of people affected by floods.

“Gogrial East County has a projected population of 137,256 and 90,324 persons got dislodged from 15,054 households and that formed 66 percent,” he said. “Tonj North County with a 219,568 projected population has 108,000 displaced persons equivalent to 18,000 households which constitute 40 percent.”

The RRC official said his office and humanitarian organizations are mobilizing resources to come to the aid of the flood-affected population.

Meanwhile, Manyuol Mayar, the head chief of Kuach South Payam in Gogrial West County, said gardens in many places in his areas have been submerged.

“My villages of Kuol, Ngongdit, Athil-Luach Kurnyiel, and others all are flooded and the crops were destroyed and many people moved to the high grounds without shelter,” he said. “Next year people will have no food because rains started late and when cultivation commenced, the floods destroyed the crops.”

Another chief in Tonj North County, Deng Ayuel Madut, said their farms have been inundated and appealed to the government and humanitarian organizations to intervene.

“The floods affected us too much and large parts of Noi section have been destroyed and people have moved to the roadside,” he said. “On the road going to Luany-Aker, all the simsim, dura, and groundnuts are destroyed and diseases like malaria and snakebites have been on the rise. 3 people died as a result of snake bites last month.”

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK