Around 909,000 people have reportedly been affected by flooding in South Sudan, the UN's emergency response agency said Tuesday, more than doubling estimates released last month as torrential rains ravage crops and destroy homes.

The world's newest nation is reeling from four consecutive years of flooding, with the disaster now affecting nine out of ten states, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a briefing note.

"Reportedly, the floods destroyed livestock and crops; washed away roads and bridges; destroyed homes, schools and health facilities; and submerged boreholes and latrines thereby contaminating water sources and risking outbreaks of waterborne diseases," OCHA said.

In oil-rich Unity state -- one of the worst-hit regions -- rising water levels breached dykes in two places on Sunday, threatening to flood camps for internally displaced people as well as a base for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

"Efforts are ongoing around the clock to repair the areas needed and to monitor any vulnerable areas ahead of further breaches," OCHA said.

In Western Bahr el Ghazal state, heavy rains caused a key bridge to collapse, cutting off critical aid deliveries to already struggling populations, OCHA said.

In its previous update released last month, the UN agency had estimated that around 386,000 people were affected by flooding across seven states.

Four out of five of South Sudan's 11 million people live in "absolute poverty," according to World Bank figures for 2018, and nearly two-thirds of its population suffer from severe hunger.

Since achieving independence from Sudan in 2011, the young nation has been in the throes of a chronic economic and political crisis, and is struggling to recover from the aftermath of a five-year civil war that left nearly 400,000 people dead.

Although a 2018 ceasefire and power-sharing deal between President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar still largely holds, little progress has been made in fulfilling its terms.

One of the poorest countries on the planet despite large oil reserves, South Sudan's leadership has faced fierce criticism from the UN for failing its people and stoking violence.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Rain-lashed Sydney residents warned to evacuate
Sydney (AFP) Oct 9, 2022
Australian emergency services on Sunday issued flood evacuation orders for neighbourhoods in Sydney and beyond as river levels climbed after days of heavy rain. Officials reported 28 flood rescues over 24 hours in the eastern state of New South Wales, many of them for people who had tried to drive through inundated roads. "It is very dangerous out there on our roads and we are seeing a lot of flash flooding and obviously the rivers are still rising," NSW State Emergency Service commissioner Car ... read more