A mother and her children wade through flood waters in Bor town, Jonglei State, in August 2020 | Credit | Facebook PHOTO//Jacob Aluong

Communities in Bor town in Jonglei state are appealing to the national government and partners to construct for them a permanent dyke to help contain and prevent floods in the area.

The area is flooded yearly by the overflow of the River Nile.

The state has been devastated by flash floods that have been ongoing since May 2020.

“We need dyke repair, a permanent dyke, sandbags, food, clean water and excavator,” one resident of the town said.

According to the state Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, more than 340,000 people from its nine counties have been displaced by the persistent flash floods.

Torrential rains and flash floods have continued to displace thousands of people and destroy several homes across South Sudan.

Many families have been affected and dozens of villages have been destroyed by floods in mostly Jonglei, Pibor, Upper Nile, Unity, Western, and Eastern Equatoria states.

In Bor town, residents have repeatedly been calling on the government to construct for them a permanent dyke in the areas affected by the floods.

Dyke or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall that regulates water levels. It is usually earthen and often parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastlines.

Peter Awel represents those worst affected by the floods in four villages.

He declared that the residents of Hai Machor, Amoyok, Konibor and Panaper are willing to chip in to help build the dykes.

“The community here will provide labour as usual,” he said, adding that “we need machines for draining water when the dyke is constructed.” “There is also a need for resettlement, building materials, bamboos, iron sheet among others,” he further said.

They also called on the government to construct all-weather roads and water channels, and improve the security situation.

“We want disaster and preparedness centre to be built in our area,”said Awel.

He was speaking in Bor on Monday during a visit to the area, organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

But the South Sudan Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management had said that the government does not have enough money to assist those affected by floods.

“We need a long term solution to this flooding which comes every year, it is our hope that the government…come out and bring more resources to support the communities which are affected mostly by the flood in Bor town,” said Dr. Banak Joshua, the Director-General for Disaster Management.

Last year, Jonglei state was among areas hit hard by flash floods following heavy rains.

The flooding caused by persistent rainfall has reportedly rendered thousands of families homeless in parts of the country.

Areas of Baidiit to Athoch, up to Twic – South of Pakeer were submerged by water.

“These are our citizens and they need to be supported by the government of the day. The government is willing to support but the government is not able to provide these services because of the economic situation,” Dr. Banak concluded.