Extreme Weather Leaves Parts of South Sudan Submerged

Soaking wet with no dry land in sight, Bor South and Twic East counties in Jonglei, Eastern South Sudan are inundated by heavy and incessant rains with the water level rising to 1.5 meters. Many homes have been destroyed, some have even lost their lives and around 200,000 people have already been displaced as the locals grapple with the dire situation. Many adults and children living in the open air under humid conditions in Juba have reported rheumatism and other ailments. Deborah Arok, 65, was airlifted from Panyagoor in the Jonglei province after the floods cut off roads. “I’ve been sleeping in the cold for over a week and now I’m suffering from something like pneumonia,” she shared. Like thousands of others, Achai Kuol, 18, along with her child, traveled some 200 kilometres to the capital Juba to escape the rising waters. Officials have urged people to mobilise creating embankments to preserve campsites as officials arrive to better assess the damage. COVID-19 -related restrictions have hampered the ability of humanitarian organisations to deploy and respond to medical and other emergency needs in the area – disconcerting as even more floods are expected. The region witnessed similar flooding last year that affected one million people and destroyed 73,000 metric tons of grains.

SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS