Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A weather expert with the IGAD climate center said recently predicted heavy downpours in parts of Upper Nile region, could trigger yet another severe flooding in the country.
On Thursday, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC), predicted imminent rains in the country by the climate center on Thursday.
The ICPAC had predicted that areas in central and northeastern parts of South Sudan were expected to receive above average rains from October to December.
Paulino Omuj, a weather and climate expert working at the center said the specific areas expected to receive heavy rains include Duk, Ayod and Fangak counties in Jonglei State.
“We are expecting at the regional level for this impact to continue into the month of September especially in much parts of Jonglei and Upper Nile specifically in the counties of Duk, Ayod, Fangak and also in Panyijar County,” said Omuj.
Panyijar County in Unity State and Longechuk, Maiwut and sothern Maban in Upper Nile State would not be spared from the above-normal rainfall indicated in the forecast.
“And most parts of eastern Upper Nile State, especially in Longechuck, Maiwut county and southern part of Maban County. So, all these areas are expected to get above normal rainfall.”
The country, still struggling to overcome multiple challenges, is said to have recorded its worst flooding in decades, impacting more than 835,000 people, according to the UN humanitarian affairs office.
Record rainfall in the past three years and overflowing rivers, have flooded thousands of hectares of farmland in eight states.
The situation has prevented prevented people from planting crops, and led to the death of nearly 800,000 livestock without anything to feed them, says UN.
Meanwhile, floods have already wreaked parts of Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Western Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap, leaving thousands displaced and in dire need of relief assistance.
Paulino said it is important communities living low-lying areas take early measures and move to higher areas to avoid the impacts of flooding.
“So, with this kind of information, we can advise our communities to move out from the lowlands to highlands because it is not possible to avoid floods if you are not living in highland where the level of flooding will be reduced.”
Following last year’s flooding, 33 counties across eight states, with Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states being the worst impacted.
ICPAC is a Climate Center accredited by the World Meteorological Organization that provides Climate Services to 11 East African Countries.
The Center aims at creating resilience in a region deeply affected by climate change and extreme weather.
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