BOR – Heavy floods have hit Old Fangak County in South Sudan’s Jonglei State, displacing hundreds of families and destroying farmlands, residents and local authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
The floods, resulting from weeks of heavy rainfall and the overflowing Nile River, which caused the dyke to break, have submerged homes, schools, and health facilities, leaving many residents stranded.
Families are now moving to higher ground in search of safety and dry land.
James Kuach Catim, Old Fangak County Coordinator in Bor, said the situation has worsened in recent days, with many households in urgent need of humanitarian support.
“It happened on Sunday night; the dike got broken, and Fangak is being surrounded by water, so the water from outside has entered the area, and those affected have been evacuated to Paguier and Kuernyang. The few people that have remained are on the top of the dike,” said Kuach.
“The county has no capacity to repair the dyke. The dyke was constructed by WFP in 2023 in old Fangak and new Fangak, including the airstrip, and the youth have been trying to renovate the dyke, and the county has no repairing machines like excavators.”
Kuach appealed to the humanitarian organizations to quickly intervene to rescue the situation, adding that women and children are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
Sarah Anyanya, a resident of Paguir, shared with this publication that her family has been forced to sleep under trees since their house collapsed from flooding.
“Our villages have been destroyed by this flooding we are suffering; we need food, shelter, and medicines because our children are in dire need of food, and there is too much water currently in our homes,” said Anyanya.
“We have nowhere to stay, no food, and the children are falling sick from cold and mosquito bites. We stay here on this high ground; if any organization can hear our voices, let them help us with generators to drain our villages and repair the dike.”
Another resident, Hammed Osman from Kuernyang, said they are helpless after their crops have been destroyed by the flood.
“Our properties are being destroyed by this flood. We have nothing; our crops have been destroyed, and that was our home. If the time for harvesting comes, we will be having food, and our children will have something to eat. We are in dire need of any assistance.”
Relief and rehabilitation authorities in Jonglei State said they are coordinating with partners to deliver emergency relief but stressed that the partners are working to deliver humanitarian assistance.
Old Fangak, one of the low-lying areas of Jonglei State, is among the counties repeatedly affected by seasonal floods, which have worsened over the past years due to climate change and poor drainage.
Humanitarian agencies have previously warned that without urgent intervention, communities in Old Fangak could face hunger, waterborne diseases, and further displacement.
Last week, Jonglei State authorities reported that at least 25,693 people have been displaced by flooding following two weeks of heavy rainfall, with almost nine counties affected.
