The authorities of Warrap State say the locals in Mangar Ajak village in Gogrial West County and other neighboring villages are in urgent need of food and non-food items after being displaced by floods.
This comes after a visit by the state flood management committee on Sunday to assess the situation in Mangar Ajak, Bul Mjak, and Korsawut villages.
Warrap State Information Minister William Wol who doubles as the head of the flood management committee, said there is a need to immediately avail both food and non-food assistance to the displaced population whose houses and farms were inundated by flood waters. He blamed the design of the roads, saying there are few culverts to drain off water.
“We, the flood management committee are tasked to coordinate and report the challenges facing our people regarding floods to Governor Kuol Muor Muor,” he explained. “Our work is to share information with state and national humanitarian partners, however, we are at Managar Ajak assessing the floods, and the rivers are overflowing and it affected and displaced numerous households who are now living on the road.”
Wol added, “This flooding is triggered by the way the road is constructed without culverts and that is why the eastern side from Kuajok to Gogrial town is extremely flooded leading to the destruction of houses and displacement of people because there is no way for water to flow.”
He said the flooding has led to a rise in cases of snakebites, malaria, and other diseases and called on the national government and humanitarian partners to intervene by providing aid.
For his part, Solomon Bol, the Warrap State health minister, sounded an alarm about the lack of drugs and urged the national health ministry and health NGOs to come to the rescue.
“The health condition of people along the road is worse, they need medicines and plastic sheets at least to protect themselves from the sun and rain and we do not have drugs,” he said.
Gogrial West Commissioner Victor Wek said the whole county is experiencing problems induced by flooding and that he reported it to the commissioner.
“I have just arrived in Kuajok Town from Gogrial West County and the people living along the road are seriously suffering and badly in need of support,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Awien Dut, one of the flood-affected people, told Radio Tamazuj that the government has forsaken them.
“I want to say that the government does not care about us, it does not help us although the officials have seen that we are helpless because organizations do not distribute aid directly to us instead middlemen with pens cheat us,” she charged.
Ngong Akol, another resident of Bul Majak Village, said his village is near the river and is completely flooded.
“Our houses were submerged in water, completely collapsed and crops were destroyed at their germination stage,” he lamented. “We need saucepans and plates because God gave us another blessing of fish which we can use for food.”