Severe flooding affects 800,000 people in South Sudan

ANKARA

Severe flooding in South Sudan is affecting the lives of roughly 800,000 people, leaving them without adequate food, water or shelter, Medecins Sans Frontieres said Tuesday.

"Many areas [in South Sudan] have been flooded since July, while river levels are continuing to rise, worsening the crisis," the Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders -- an international humanitarian medical non-governmental organization -- said in a statement.

Putting efforts to provide medical care in the affected areas of Upper Nile, Jonglei, Greater Pibor, and Unity states, the MSF said the need for medical care in South Sudan “are increasing with a sharp rise in malaria cases and fears of outbreaks of other diseases.”

"This year’s floods are happening against the backdrop of multiple emergencies including COVID-19, increased violence and fighting, a growing economic crisis, and high levels of food insecurity," Ibrahim Muhammad, the MSF head of mission in South Sudan, was quoted as saying in the statement.

"Now, we are preparing for an increase in diseases in all flood-affected areas, such as diarrheal diseases and malaria, given the high risks caused by displacement and crowding, poor hygiene conditions, and a lack of functioning latrines," he added.

The floods also prevented residents from reaching health care facilities, according to the MSF.

"In the MSF hospital in Lankien, in Jonglei State, the MSF has seen fewer patients since high floodwaters made it nearly impossible for people to travel from surrounding areas," the statement read.

"The local airstrip has flooded, making it more difficult to deliver medical supplies or refer patients to other medical facilities when needed," it added.

ANKARA

Severe flooding in South Sudan is affecting the lives of roughly 800,000 people, leaving them without adequate food, water or shelter, Medecins Sans Frontieres said Tuesday.

The floods also prevented residents from reaching health care facilities, according to the MSF.

"In the MSF hospital in Lankien, in Jonglei State, the MSF has seen fewer patients since high floodwaters made it nearly impossible for people to travel from surrounding areas," the statement read.

"The local airstrip has flooded, making it more difficult to deliver medical supplies or refer patients to other medical facilities when needed," it added.