South Sudan’s seasonal floods, once a manageable part of life, have now become an annual disaster, displacing hundreds of thousands and worsening ongoing crises. Families like that of Nyabuot Reat Kuor, a mother who fled her home in Gorwai, are bearing the brunt of this climate catastrophe.
“When we were in Gorwai, there was too much flooding. It destroyed our farm and displaced us for good,” Nyabuot shared. “We don’t know what caused this flooding, but it destroyed our land and killed our livestock. When we were displaced, we only had wild plants to eat.”
Nyabuot and her family now reside along the Jonglei Canal, an unfinished waterway more than a century old, which has become home to over 69,000 displaced people in Ayod County. Villagers depend on food aid from the World Food Programme (WFP), and when that runs out, they forage for wild plants and water lilies from nearby swamps.
The United Nations reports that over 379,000 people in South Sudan have been displaced by floods this year alone. Described by the World Bank as the world’s most climate-vulnerable country, South Sudan’s response to these disasters is hampered by years of civil war, leaving its infrastructure in ruins and its government ill-prepared to handle such crises. Entire villages are submerged, farmland destroyed, and livestock losses continue to rise.
Aid Delivered by Air Ayod County’s displaced communities are almost completely isolated. With roads impassable and canals too shallow for boat access, aid must be delivered by air.
“We deliver food by airdrops,” explained John Kimemia, a WFP airdrop coordinator. “Before delivering, we have to prepare the ground for a drop zone. In this case, the community helped clear the area because there’s no access by road or boat.”
Despite WFP’s efforts, resources are limited. International food aid funding has declined, resulting in reduced rations for displaced families. Once aid runs out, communities are left to fend for themselves.
Survival Amid Isolation The isolation of flood-affected areas compounds the challenges. In Pajiek, Ayod County’s administrative headquarters, a six-hour walk through waist-high water is required to reach the village. There is no mobile network, government presence, or healthcare.
In Paguong village, surrounded by flooded lands, medical staff have not been paid since June. Patients, mostly women and children, wait for care while fearing venomous snakes.
The country’s economic crisis has worsened, partly due to external conflicts. A damaged oil pipeline in neighboring Sudan, caused by its civil war, has disrupted South Sudan’s oil exports, further deepening economic instability. Civil servants across the country have been unpaid for over a year.
Climate and Conflict The persistent flooding has been linked to the opening of upstream dams in Uganda and rising water levels in Lake Victoria. The expansion of South Sudan’s wetlands, the Sudd, since the 1960s has submerged more land, displacing families.
For many displaced families, the unfinished Jonglei Canal, a colonial-era project originally intended to divert water to Egypt, has become a haven, offering higher ground amidst the floods.
However, life remains precarious. “We survive on what we can find,” said Nyabuot. “Wild plants, water lilies. We just want food and help to live.”
South Sudan’s flooding crisis is not only an environmental disaster but a humanitarian emergency, exposing the vulnerabilities of a nation already struggling with conflict, poverty, and climate change. For Nyabuot and thousands like her, the fight for survival is ongoing, with no end in sight.
