Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The ambassador of the Netherlands to South Sudan, Jelte Van Wieren, has called on the government to consider a special plan for the settlement of the local population to protect them from persistent flooding.
Amb Jelte said it is much easier to settle people in safer places than to protect them from floodwaters.
He was speaking during the launch of the Bor flood risk mitigation yesterday.
The project is being implemented by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) with funding from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
“In July last year, I was here in Bor to witness the devastation caused by floods in the area. At that time, half of the town was submerged, and I could see how women, children, and the elderly were struggling to find safe places to live,” he said.
“But at the same time, I also saw the resolve of the youth and women of this area to protect their communities from the floods.
“I was struck by the relentless effort of these youngsters and the women to construct dikes using sandbags and other local materials to protect their town, the town of Bor,” Ambassador Jelte added.
He said he realised it was part of his duty to do what they can to be part of the efforts geared toward finding solutions to these floods.
“So, I promised to come back to Bor. And here I am, proud to be back and even more proud to be part of the launch of the Bor Flood Risk Mitigation Project, “Jelte stressed.
“The people of my country have built over 80,000 km of dykes to protect us from floods. But over recent decades, we have come to realise that in the nearby future we will no longer be able to control the water by building dykes and dams.
“Climate change is overtaking us. We had to change our approach and find ways to live with the water, instead of fighting it. “Stop building dykes everywhere, and give space to the river,” he said.
The diplomat said that it was the start of efforts to tackle the recent devastation of climate-induced floods in Bor and the country at large.
“As you all know, floods have been devastating large areas of the country in the last three years affecting almost a million each year leading to loss of lives, property worth millions and worsening the already dire humanitarian situation in the country,” Ambassador Jelte said.
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