South Sudan: Residents aim to rebuild after deadly floods

In Unity, South Sudan, deadly floods have submerged homes, schools and health facilities. It’s the result of heavy rainfall, which has also killed livestock, and destroyed farmland and pastures.

Humanitarians and officials are doing all they can to help those affected; Bayath Ruai Wel, Minister of Roads and Bridges in Unity State, says “our target is to give, to distribute, this land to the IDPs and the returnees who are coming from Sudan, and the IDPs who are displaced by the water, by the floods.”

The surge of water has contaminated water sources; those affected hope that they will be able to rebuild their lives once it subsided.

Kuol Kueth, chief of Thou-Mangor-Island, says, “we hope that once the water is pumped out, we will be able to access pasture for our cattle, rebuild our homes, cultivate the land, and reduce our dependence on food aid brought from far away.”

The International Organisation for Migration is bolstering dykes to shield communities living in the area. The region has already been struck by floods; and some 70% of the area is submerged under water, and some 220,000 people have been affected.