The agriculture minister in Jonglei State, John Dut Akech has warned of looming hunger in parts of the state next year, due to crop failure resulting from floods.
Speaking on Radio Tamazuj’s Agriculture and Wildlife Programme on Monday, Akech said hunger is expected to hit Duk, Twic and Bor areas after heavy floods, which started in July, destroyed community livelihoods.
“Floods hit Duk Padiet, Duk Pagak, Duk Panyang and Duk Payuel counties before harvests. All farmlands are destroyed, while in parts of the greater Twic and greater Bor areas, effects of floods were reported, but after harvests,” Dut said.
He added, “Floods did not only affect crops, even livestock have been dying especially in the greater Duk areas, parts of Bor North, Bor South and Twic areas. This is the worst disaster in our history”.
The state official further warned that the current situation is likely to worsen in parts of the state next year, if there is no immediate intervention.
He appealed to aid agencies operating in the country to intervene.
Close to 1 million people in many parts of South Sudan have been directly affected by flooding that destroyed 73,000 metric tons of potential harvests and wiped out tens of thousands of cattle and goats on which people depend for survival.
The government of South Sudan declared a state of emergency in late October in Bahr el Ghazal, Greater Upper Nile and Greater Equatoria because of the floods, calling for international assistance to be stepped up.