The National Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) has released new records indicating an increase in water levels of the River Nile, especially in Nimule, Juba, Mangala, and Malakal, raising concerns of more flooding should it rain in the coming days.
Speaking to reporters on Monday in Juba, Kobboji Charles, a hydrologist in the water ministry, said the water levels in Mangala reached the 15-meter mark, 10 centimeters above the normal level which is supposed to be between 11 to 12 meters.
He reported that the water level in Mangalla rose to the 15-meter mark while in Juba it is at around 13 and 14 meters.
“In Juba, the water level stands at the 13-meter mark and in Mangala when it reaches the 14-meter mark, it becomes an alert. So, as of today (Monday), we already reached the 15-meter mark, 10 centimeters above the highest level,” Charles said. “My colleagues were on the ground and they have seen how serious it is, especially in Mangala. They have seen how water is spreading out.”
According to the ministry, about 700,000 people have been displaced by floods, with the majority in Unity and Upper Nile states.
For his part, Andrew Stephen Yonda, the director of planning in the water ministry, said to address the issue, the ministry signed a consultancy contract amounting to about USD $2,298,763 with the Project Planning and Management Ltd, a Bulgarian company, aimed at providing both immediate and long term solutions.
The two-year consultancy contract will focus on interventions to mitigate flood risks and enhance water resources management, particularly in flood-prone and refugee-hosting regions across South Sudan.
The contract will also see the construction of dykes and dams.
“Today we are concluding our contract with the project planning and management and the joint venture. This contract we are concluding is for feasibility studies, design, and supervision of works that will be undertaken by the joint venture,” Yonda said.
According to him, the project which will last 24 months, effective from the date of signing, and has two major components.
“One is looking at the priority interventions that need to be identified and the second part is now the bidding document that needs to be developed for the priority projects to be implemented,” he stated. “The representative of the consulting firm has said there are ready interventions, for example, some studies to integrate the flood management component into this project that will be done very fast. We will also be looking at Maban which is a hosting area for refugees.”
The signing of this consultancy contract brings the total of contracts signed by the Ministry of W#ater Resources to two this month. Earlier this month, the ministry signed a procurement agreement with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for the supply of flood emergency response tools.
According to the ministry, both contracts will be funded by the World Bank under the sustainable asset management for climate resilience and adaptive climate services program for Eastern and Southern Africa.