Residents of Hai Mauna voice concerns over flooding caused by fences and bridges on waterways after heavy rains. Photo by Moyo Jacob/Eye Radio - 14, June, 2024

Residents of Hai Mauna in Juba are voicing concerns over severe flooding caused by rainwater, which they attribute to a powerful woman who built her fence on a stream, leading to blockages.

This concern emerged after a woman whose name has been withheld and is alleged to be working in the office of the President, built a small bridge and extended her fence to part of the waterway.

The extension of the fence narrowed the waterway forcing water to overflow and spread to cause flooding in the houses of the vulnerable people.

Samuel Malish, one of the residents of Hai Mauna says the moves by the woman have caused him damage in his house.

“The problem is this bridge that is causing us a lot of damage after it was built, the water would be passing freely when this bridge was not there, there was no destruction and I was happy with my bamboo fence that never felt,” said Samuel.

“After this bridge and fence was built, I started experiencing problems. I am not saying this bridge should not have been built but should have been built bigger,” he said.

“It should be destroyed and built bigger because, in its current state, it cannot help me.

“I was telling them that the corner of the fence should not get to the waterway but they never listened to me. The water has taken many of my items”.

Malish also says, they attempted to report the case but the woman downplayed the case and brought her surveyors who he says did not do anything to solve their issue but rather hailed the woman.

“We did not do anything because when we reported, the woman who built this fence and the bridge, said the case did not come to her officially and that if we want to complain, we should reach her office,” Malish said.

“I heard she works in the office of the President but now I can’t reach the office of the President,” he said.

“I only saw her when she brought surveyors from Konyokonyo who told her if five people were like her, these people could develop Juba but now for me Taban, who will support me?

“If I don’t have the capacity, where will I go to? Now I can’t reach this woman to talk to her”.

Grace Susan, another resident of the area explains what happened.

“When it rained, we never knew it would cause destruction, we were sleeping and we found the fence was destroyed and the compound was filled up with water and other properties taken, and the house was empty,” said Grace.

“This happens this year and it happened because of the blockages built. If there is a possibility, she can remove those blockages because this water affects many people in this area,” she said.

Another citizen Benard Goya Alfred says, he has been in the same house since the 1980s but never experienced any flood in the house until the fence got extended to the waterway and a small bridge was built.

“The problem is this woman who blocked the water pathway. I have been here since the 1980s and water never entered our house. This woman diverted the water and it entered our house,” Benard said.

“They said if you can’t manage, then sell your house and seek another place. How will I sell my house and buy another one elsewhere when this is where I have been living since the 1980s?

“When we talked with her, she said if you want, come to the office of the President. I don’t know, is the President for one person or everyone? He is the President of South Sudan,” he said.

“You cannot give excuses that you work in the office of the President. We all work for the government but you don’t say anything out of context.”

He appeals to the government to pursue the woman into reducing her fence to the original size to avoid causing floods to people.

“I appeal that if the government is listening, this woman should reduce her fence. You cannot block the waterway, build a small bridge and when you are talked to, you tell us I am this, I am this,” Benard said.

“We have misunderstandings among ourselves. I have documents that have been destroyed by water and if this water did not find my wife in the house, I am sure it would have carried away my children,” he said.

“I have small children and when my wife says there was no option, she rushed the children to the house of the neighbour while the water entered the house”.

Emmanuel John says, the poor are being manipulated by the rich, denying them their access to better lives in their vicinities.

“Someone built without planning and now the stream is blocked, people are not the same there are rich and poor people,” said Emmanuel.

“Those who have money use their status and build on the stream. The stream is supposed to be left as a way for water, it is 20 houses affected,” he said.

“This old man and woman you see their house has been affected and all their furniture was brought out and it was not good.”

Emmanuel expresses their anger but says they cannot take the law into their hands and calls on those in authority to address the matter.

“We are really angry but we cannot take the law into our hands and we told other people not to do anything,” Emmanuel told Eye Radio.

“We request the concerned authorities to come and see this if they are the ones issuing permission to build,” he said.

Bona Abur says, the recent rain flooded his house and took away everything prompting his children to sleep in broken cars in the compound.

“The problem is the flash floods; it is the first time for the rain to affect houses. Back in the days there was no building in the stream and water was flowing but now there is a building in the stream which is blocking the waterways,” Abur said.

“As I speak the water took everything in my house and my kids now sleep in the car because the house is full of water,” he said.

“This is block 3 and the plots are 20 in 20 and our neighbour’s plot is supposed to be 20 in 30 but when he bought the plot, it closed to 40 so it closed the waterways.”

Cecilia Jogo explains how she is being affected by the floods as a result of the extended fence and the small bridge built.

“What is keeping me angry is that, when this fence was being built, I talked and told them I am living by this riverside, they should leave a waterway but they did not listen to me,” said Cecilia.

“This way, it is now affecting me. With what happened, she would have come to check on me whether I was still alive. That day, I was alone and the water almost carried me away if I did not close my door,” she said.

“All the water here is flowing to my house. If we had an understanding, this water would not have come like this.

“We did not have an agreement and she did not come to check on me, what did we do? I did not fight with her, why didn’t she come and check on me as a neighbour?

She decries all her properties have been flown away by the water making her life difficult.

“If the rain had carried me, would have been under whose responsibility? All my properties have been carried away including stones and sand, how much money is worth it? I am cooking but I don’t have utensils, I am using them for some people,” said Cecilia.

A local chief in Hai Mauona of Juba City is urging the government to regulate the allocation of plots near water pathways.

Chief Juma Alberto Lado explained to Eye Radio in an interview that the streams, which had flowed continuously since 1986, were blocked when a powerful woman constructed her house adjacent to them.

“What happened is the issue of the river, the river has been squeezed like stated by my citizens, there are people who have 20 by 20 plots and add, I agree with the concerns raised by my people here,” Chief Juma said.

“We have known this river since 1986, we know how and where it flows. I urge the government to regulate the issuance of plots in waterways because some people can have an extension and this is what is bringing us problems,” he said.

“This one has 30 by 20 and if you ask her now, she will say the ministry extended for her. I call for the reconsideration of the extension and let her get back to 30 by 20 and allow the water to go its normal way.”

When contacted, the Minister of Housing, Lands and Public Utilities in Central Equatoria State Fred Laku says, they do not encourage the extension of plots by owners once allocated.

“No, no, we don’t do that. When someone is given a plot, given 20 by 20, there is nobody who can just extend it. That is a double plot,” said Laku.

Efforts to reach the alleged powerful woman accused of building on the stream were unsuccessful.