Death toll from floods in South Sudan rises to 62

By Benjamin Takpiny

JUBA, South Sudan (AA) – The death toll from floods triggered by heavy rain in South Sudan has risen to 62, a UN health body representative said Wednesday.

The fatalities have been rising since the start of the rainy season in April, said Dr. Fabian Ndenzako, World Health Organization's South Sudan representative.

Severe flooding has also caused damage to 52 health facilities, he said at an event in the capital Juba.

He said months of heavy rainfall and rampant flooding have taken a toll on healthcare systems in the country, sparking outbreaks of cholera and measles.

“South Sudan has been facing flooding in over 30 counties since 2019, and currently more than 630,000 people have been affected by flooding in nine counties,” said Ndenzako.

“There are also internally displaced people (IDPs) that have been displaced because of water and of course conflict as well, and in Jonglei state you can’t travel to another county without flying by plane,” he said.

The worst-affected states are Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, Unity and Western Equatoria, said the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Tuesday.

“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,” the UN agency said in a statement.

Dut Majokdit, chairperson of the country's Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, said 65,000 farmlands have submerged in water and people drinking contaminated water are dying of malaria.​​​​​​​