The United Nations Refugee Agency, (UNHCR), on Tuesday, warned that prolonged flooding and displacement in South Sudan is expected to worsen when the wet season begins in May, reported UN News.
The refugee agency called for urgent action to protect the already vulnerable population. The approaching wet season threatens to swamp extremely remote communities where residents are already surrounded by floodwater.
“The approaching wet season threatens to swamp extremely remote communities where residents are already surrounded by floodwater,” UNHCR said in a statement.
South Sudan reported its worst flooding in 2021, which impacted more than 835,000 people, according to the UN refugee agency. The situation has aggravated due to the threat of conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic.
There has been a record rainfall in the past three years that has flooded thousands of hectares of farmland in eight states and prevented people from cultivating. Out of 79 counties, 33 counties have been affected by the floodwaters, which have not significantly subsided since last season. Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile states are among the worst affected, where thousands of people have been displaced.
“If we do not step up our support for the people of South Sudan, the climate crisis coupled with ongoing insecurity mean that resources will further shrink, leaving people with no means to survive,” the UN refugee agency said.
It added that such climate events are likely to worsen in the future.
Earlier this year, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) warned over 70 percent of South Sudan’s population may face extreme hunger this year due to conflict and climate-related disasters that escalate food scarcity in the country.
The WFP warned of a hunger crisis threatening millions of South Sudanese already devastated by floods and a resurgence of conflict. It is feared that about 8.3 million people, including refugees, may face extreme hunger in the coming months.
