Authorities in Gogrial West County of South Sudan's Warrap state have said four Payams have been devastated by floodwaters occasioned by heavy rains since the second week of July.
Victor Week Koor, the Gogrial West County commissioner, told Radio Tamazuj that his area has experienced heavy rainfall and subsequent floods since mid-July and that it has caused displacement and he appealed to humanitarian organizations to intervene.
"The security situation is fine but a vast area in Gogrial West County was smashed by flood which demolished shelters and destroyed farms completely in four Payams of Akon South and North, Alek West plus Rieu Payams," he said.
He further said that gardens were affected meaning a poor harvest this year.
"The areas I have mentioned before, there is no hope for production because the area is swampy and floods emerged when crops were at middle stage. People who were displaced are over thousands meaning, in Akon South Payam, all people in Swampy area got displaced with all their animals,” Week stated.
He said his administration is trying to engage humanitarian organizations through the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) to come and help the population in the county.
"These people need medicine and food, the government of Gogrial West County wrote a report to the state RRC and one assessment was made only by World Vision in Akon South Payam, Agal Boma, but the team has been faced with movement challenges as all areas are covered by water," he added.
Donato Rou, an agricultural extension worker working in Akon South Payam, said the heavy rains and floods have affected human habitats, schools, and health facilities.
“A large area is affected by rains and river floods like Agal Boma is one of the Bomas which experienced this horrible situation. Community Schools and health facilities were washed off by floods too. More than 38 villages with a total of 2,991 households in Agal Boma moved to high ground and camped there in the areas of Pandak, Anyieny Agaldit, Tiitchok, and Mathiang, all within the Agal boma," Rou said.
William Deng Kuek, a community leader in Awan MuorKua echoed that the government and organizations should come in to provide food to the flood-affected population.
"Our area is in danger, there is too much flooding this year. It destroyed Awan Yen, Awan Pajok Awan Rieu, part of Aguok, Agal, and even Panliet on your way to Twic County, are all destroyed,” Deng said. “Life is very dangerous, there is no food."
In his response to humanitarian needs in Gogrial West flood-affected victims, the chairperson for Warrap state Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, Gabriel Anyar, said a joint humanitarian assessment mission visited the area last week.
"After we conducted the assessment in Gogrial West on Friday, in fact, crops were destroyed by rain flooding at their early stage especially in Akon South where masses moved to highlands,” Anyar said. “The most urgent need now is non-food items based on the assessment we have conducted because most houses collapsed as a result of heavy rains and hopefully next week, we will take non-food items there."