Professor Akec, made this suggestion during the round-table discussion hosted by Radio Miraya on Saturday.
“The solution is what we already proposed, to allow people to move to a safe area, to higher ground and then we do the studies and construct dykes and it will take a year,” Akec said.
Akec believed that dredging rivers scientifically is not a solution to flooding.
“This dredging project is an old program, it goes back ever before flooding and its impact is going to be worse than the solution,” said Akec.
He claimed that dredging of water is an Egyptian project which has a devastating impact on Sudd.
“Dredging is 100 percent Egyptian project and it can have a very devastating impact on Sudd and ever those people who are now underwater. The place would be dry and their livelihood would be affected.”
“For short term solution, we need to place people on higher ground and then we try to find solutions which are actually long term and middle term,” he added.
On June 1, the ministry of water resources and irrigation announced that arrival of river dredging machines to Bentiu from Egypt via Sudan as the government gets closer to the process.
The arrival of the machines sparked social media controversy with some saying the government shouldn’t conduct the process as it will drain many parts of South Sudan of water.
The dredging will start from the Naam River from Rubkotna junction in Unity State to Lake No just north of the Sudd swamp, where the Bahr el Ghazal River meets the River Kiir.
thank u professor, this is how to distinguish high learning and ordinary person in the government. in fact government should use your knowledge to put the Country right. Politically Egypt insult and academically they are also insult the South Sudanese. Me as a mare South Sudanese will not have wealth to stay in Egypt to follow our Natural Resource taken by Egypt.
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