Heavy floods have destroyed several farms in the Alali area of Akobo County in Jonglei State, leaving the residents there without food, officials have said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj over the weekend, Stephen Ojulu Okoth, the acting Alali Payam administrator, said farms in the area were destroyed by the floods since last week after the Akobo River burst its banks.
“Floods have destroyed our crops in Alali. People are hungry because as Anyuaks, we are a farming community. So, when farms are destroyed, it means there is no food. Again, these floods have cut us off from the rest of the state, Pochalla, and even Ethiopia. Our situation is really dire,” Ojulu explained.
He added, “Damages on residential areas are not that much. Our complaint is about agricultural lands because they are along the river. Those farms are over 3,000 feddans for the villagers.”
The local official called on the government and aid agencies in the country to intervene.
“A month ago, some aid agencies were in the area. They installed boreholes and distributed some non-food items. So, they know, our situation. We are now appealing to our government and the partners to come to our aid,” he said.
A lawmaker representing the area in the state legislative assembly, John Opiew Olok, said: “All the crops have been washed away by the floods. Areas like Baba, Kem, and Wibura are affected. These floods are too much because the waters come from both Akobo Rivers and Gilo rivers of Ethiopia.”
Opiew also appealed for relief aid, warning that the dire situation will force the returnees to flee to Ethiopia again.
For his part, Atem de Gak Atem, the Jonglei agriculture ministry director-general, warned that parts of the state will face hunger this year because of poor harvest due to the floods.
“Just like last year, it is only the area of Duk with some people who have cultivated. But the rest of Jonglei, you talk of Alali, Dengjok, the vast wetland between Akobo East and Akobo West, coming to Wangthieng, and even the areas of Duk Deng Deng and Fangak are suffering," he said.
The agriculture official called for government intervention to avert the looming hunger.
“These floods are due to the overflow of Pibor, Gilo, and Akobo rivers. Coming to this side you also have water coming from Eastern Equatoria highlands and the Nile. The way forward is that we need a political will. If we create artificial lakes to harvest these waters, we are not interfering with Nile basin agreements with Sudan and Egypt,” he noted.
Since last month, floods have been experienced in parts of the country, uprooting thousands from their homes and destroying livelihoods.