By Jenifer James
King News 30 Sept Juba – Hon.Visor Likali, a Member of Parliament from Lafon County in Eastern Equatoria State, has called for urgent humanitarian assistance to reach Lafon County because of hunger caused by severe flooding that persisted for nearly a month. The situation has escalated, particularly with alarming reports of snake bites affecting the local population, which have become more prevalent due to the inundation of the area, according to Hon. Likali.
In a phone interview on Monday, Visor Likali emphasized the specific challenges faced by communities in Lafon, particularly highlighting the risk of snake bites resulting from the flooding. “Flooding carries a number of risks,” he stated. “We have experienced three cases of snake bites, including a tragic incident where a 17-year-old boy lost his life, while two others have survived.”
The urgent need for humanitarian assistance is evident as the community grapples with both the immediate dangers of flooding and the long-term consequences of displacement and health risks. Immediate action is critical to mitigate these challenges and support the affected populations in Eastern Equatoria State.
Meanwhile, the executive director of community empowerment for progress organization Edmund Yakani calls for the leadership of the country to declare floods as humanitarian disasters.
According to Yakani, the negative implications of the flood “on our communities are getting dangerous daily.” he said “The leadership of the country should urgently take action on declaring floods as humanitarian disasters.”
Yakani said the leadership of the country should really act on the call to declare floods as a national humanitarian disaster. “We are losing human lives, livestock, and agricultural farms. The flood’s negative implications were extreme on the population of persons with disabilities across the country.”
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), as of September 25, 2024, flooding has impacted over 735,000 people across South Sudan, displacing approximately 76,230 individuals. The situation is dire in Unity State as well, where heavy rainfall has forced the closure of 11 schools in Ganyiel. The continued rainfall has made physical access challenging due to deteriorating road conditions, further hindering the movement of humanitarian personnel and essential supplies to affected areas.
On 20 August, the South Sudan Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation issued an urgent appeal for communities in low-lying areas along the Nile to relocate, as water levels at the Mangala Telemetric Station in Juba County reached a five-year high of 14.85 meters. Maximum water levels have also been reported at stations in Juba, Bor, and eight other locations, further worsening the humanitarian crisis.