Dec 29, 2020(Nyamilepedia) — Upper Nile State is on the verge of starvation as floods hit the state when it was coming out from a drought season, according to state officials.
Authorities in the area have warned of looming hunger in the near future as the farmers in the area expect no harvests as the area has been experiencing floods for a few months.
“Between May and August of 2020, there were droughts. So, no one grew crops. But as it started raining, floods started coming from the River Nile and bushes through Jonglei. From September until now, the floodwaters continue to rise. Areas like Akoka, Baliet, Adong, and Agilaciel expect no harvests due to the floods,” said the director-general in the state agriculture ministry, John Ayual Monynak.
“This year, the harvest would have been better if it were not because of the floods. 80 percent of the arable lands have been submerged, and as we speak floodwaters continue advancing to the rest of the areas. In a place like Akoka, residents are fleeing the floods and for the little crop yields there, there is a competition between the locals and birds,” he explained.
The state Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) deputy director reiterated this saying that the situation is worsening and people are being displaced by the floods with some even crossing to Sudan.
“We expect no harvest due to the droughts and floods. Again, people are being displaced from the eastern Nuer areas like Nasser and Olang. From northern Jonglei, more displaced people have been arriving in Malakal and some are proceeding to Sudan. So, I am appealing to the government and aid agencies to support people in Upper Nile,”, James Majok said.
the secretary-general of the Upper Nile State government, Ajak Wer Lual, has appealed for humanitarian intervention to prevent the situation from getting worse.
