South Sudan’s weather agency warns of devastating flood risk

South Sudan’s Meteorological Department on Friday warned that several regions in the East African Country are at risk of floods caused by torrential rains.

The weather agency told reporters that heavy rainfall is expected in the months of June, July and August and may cause devastating floods in flood-prone areas of Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile and Unity.

Samuel Thon, a Forecaster at the Meteorological Department, said the towns of Bor, Bentiu, Aweil, and Pibor are particularly at high risk of floods.

He explained that “rainfall forecast in June, July and August 2018 indicates increased likelihood of flooding in flood prone areas like Bor, Bentiu, Aweil, Pibor and Upper Nile States plus other flood prone areas. So, we are expecting floods because the rainfall is much.”

According to South Sudan’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Risk Management, several regions in that country are prone to recurrent floods every year in the rainy season, between May and October, which threatens the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people.

In 2017, torrential rains forced over 100,000 people from their homes and destroyed valuable property in central and northern South Sudan.