At least five children aged 5 to 10 are reported to have drowned in Jur River County in Western Bahr el Ghazal State on Monday and Tuesday following flooding occasioned by torrential rains.
Last week, the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) county coordinator reported that several houses were destroyed by floods in Alel-Thony Payam which is situated in the north of the county.
James Bak Nyiyuo, the Jur River County commissioner, told Radio Tamazuj Wednesday that the five children drowned in the areas of Manyang, Achong-Chong, and Marial-Bai Payam.
“In the past two weeks, Jur River County witnessed heavy rainfall and there is flooding in whole the county but especially in the area of Manyang and the people have gone run high ground and homes have been destroyed,” said Bak. “The number of children who died because of flooding is five. In Manyang we lost four children and in Tharkueng we lost one child. Three boys and two girls.”
He said the devastation had been reported to the state authorities and appealed to humanitarian agencies to expeditiously intervene.
Meanwhile, in Udici Payam, the inhabitants there have taken shelter at school due to the deluge and the Payam Administrator Joseph Ngor Majok said the situation is worsening and that community lost their crops.
“As we speak, people are sheltering at Gette Primary School in Udici and I want the government and you the media to come and see the situation,” Majok said. “They have livestock but they have nowhere to graze them because the whole area is under water.”
When contacted, the state RRC chairperson, Barsham Musa Ayaka, confirmed the devastating flooding in areas of Jur River County and said that his office received reports of nine snake bites in Marial-Bai.
“The flood has affected Jur River very heavily and the areas of Kuajiena, Mbili, Mapel, Roc-Roc Dong, and Kangi are affected by floods,” he said. “The water has washed out what was cultivated and all crops have been destroyed. This is a disaster.”
According to Ayaka, nine cases of snake bites in Marial-Bai resulting from the floods were reported to him on Tuesday.
“This morning I was informed about nine snake bite cases in Marial-Bai because the snakes are moving within the floodwaters,” he said.
The RRC official said they are working with other humanitarian agencies to urgently help the estimated 7,000 flood-affected people in Jur River County.