Month: November 2022

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Historic Flooding Causing “Devastation” in South Sudan, says UN

Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan’s Unity State, has become an island surrounded by floodwaters

31 October 2022 – by Cosmo Sanderson

Devastating and historic flooding in South Sudan has affected almost one million people and transformed one city into an island amid rising waters, as the United Nations’ refugee agency pleads for international support.

Speaking in Geneva this month, UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov said that while global attention is currently directed “elsewhere” – a possible reference to the ongoing war in Ukraine – South Sudan’s “protracted and chronically underfunded crisis needs urgent support.”

Two thirds of South Sudan is currently experiencing flooding after a fourth consecutive year of record-breaking rains fuelled by climate change, said Cheshirkov. Over 900,000 of its 11 million population are directly affected. 

“Waters have swept away homes and livestock, forced thousands to flee, and inundated large swathes of farmland, worsening an already dire food emergency,” he said. “Boreholes and latrines have been submerged, contaminating water sources and risking outbreaks of diseases.”

Bentiu, the capital of the country’s northern Unity State, has become an “island surrounded by floodwaters,” continued Cheshirkov. “All roads in and out are impassable and only boats and the airstrip serve as lifelines for humanitarian aid.”

Camps for displaced people are below the current water level. Inhabitants are “working around the clock” with pumps, buckets, excavators, and heavy machinery to keep the water at bay and prevent dikes that have been constructed from collapsing, he said.

South Sudan has received less than half of the US$215 million the UNHCR says it needs this year. An estimated 2.2 million people are displaced within the country as a result of the flooding and conflict that has plagued the world’s newest country, which declared independence in 2011. 

“The threat [is] of worse to come as the climate crisis accelerates,” said Cheshirkov. 

Beyond South Sudan, the UNHCR has warned of “surging needs” for more than 3.4 million displaced people following destructive flooding in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Cameroon. In the Horn of Africa, Somalia is meanwhile teetering on the precipice of famine following a historic drought that has displaced more than a million people. 

A recent report warned that Africa is receiving a fraction of the finance it needs to reduce emissions and adapt to global warming.

Image credit: UNHCR/Charlotte Hallqvist

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Flooding in Nigeria Causes Mass Displacement, Health Risks and Food Insecurity

29 October 2022 – by Darina Kalamova

Flooding is a prevalent natural disaster in Nigeria, but it is rarely as devastating as it has been in 2022. In fact, this year’s floods have been the worst ones in the last 12 years and so far they have caused the deaths of more than 600 people. 1.4 million people have been displaced and thousands of hectares of farmland have been submerged. People have lost their homes and livelihoods, and many are in need of shelter and food.

The crisis is further exacerbated by the fact that the country’s northern region is embroiled in a regional conflict. Thousands of Nigerians were already living in camps for displaced persons because of it and now those camps are being destroyed by the water. 

Authorities blame the tragedy on the hefty rainy season aggravated by climate change and the discharge of excess water from the Lagdo dam.  However, several other factors should also be taken into account, including the country’s land use plan, its disaster management, and the lack of investment in climate infrastructure. 

The government is calling on state and local government councils to increase their efforts and continue to evacuate people who live on floodplains as there is still a danger of further flooding. In fact, some Nigerian States will remain at risk until the end of November and some inland water reservoirs are expected to continue overflowing, endangering the communities living alongside the rivers Niger and Benue.

There are concerns about the spread of diseases due to the water contamination caused by flooding. In fact, an increase in cholera and other preventable diseases has already been reported. Several rice-producing states in northern and central Nigeria, where the conflict has already been threatening food production, are now also being affected by the floods. This is straining the country’s food stability and according to data from UNICEF, more than two million people are at risk of waterborne diseases and malnutrition.