South Sudan’s seasonal floods, once a regular and manageable aspect of life, have transformed into a yearly disaster, displacing hundreds of thousands and deepening ongoing crises. Families like that of Nyabuot Reat Kuor, a mother forced to flee her home in Gorwai, face the devastating consequences of this climate disaster.
“When we were in Gorwai, there was too much flooding. It destroyed our farm and displaced us for good,” Nyabuot said. “We don’t know what caused this flooding, but it destroyed our land and killed our livestock. When we were displaced from our home, we only had wild plants to eat.”
Nyabuot and her family now live along the Jonglei Canal, an unfinished waterway over a century old that has become a refuge for more than 69,000 displaced people in Ayod County. Villagers survive on food assistance provided by the World Food Programme (WFP), as well as wild plants and water lilies from nearby swamps when aid supplies are exhausted.
According to the United Nations humanitarian agency, over 379,000 people have been displaced by flooding in South Sudan this year alone. The country, described by the World Bank as the world’s most vulnerable to climate change, is woefully unprepared to respond. Years of civil war have left its infrastructure in ruins and the government ill-equipped to address natural disasters. Entire villages remain submerged, farmlands lie destroyed, and livestock losses continue to mount.
Aid Delivered by Air
The communities displaced in Ayod County are nearly completely isolated. Roads are impassable, and the canals are too shallow to accommodate boats carrying supplies. As a result, aid delivery relies on air transport.
“We actually deliver food by airdrops,” said John Kimemia, a WFP airdrop coordinator. “Before delivering, we have to prepare the ground for a drop zone. In this case, the area didn’t have a clear drop zone, so we had to get the help of the community to clear it. There’s no access at this time by road or by boat from the canal.”
Despite the efforts of the WFP, resources remain limited. International funding for food aid has dwindled in recent years, leading to halved rations for displaced families. When aid runs out, communities are left with no option but to forage for survival.
Survival Amid Isolation
The isolation of these flood-affected areas only compounds their challenges. In Pajiek, Ayod County’s administrative headquarters, reaching the village requires a six-hour walk through waist-high water. There is no mobile network, no government presence, and minimal access to healthcare.
At the health centre in Paguong village, surrounded by flooded lands, medics have not been paid since June. Patients, primarily women and children, wait on the ground for treatment while fearing venomous snakes in the vicinity.
The country’s economic challenges have worsened due to external conflicts. A damaged oil pipeline in neighbouring Sudan, caused by its ongoing civil war, has disrupted South Sudan’s oil exports. Civil servants across the country have gone unpaid for more than a year.
Climate and Conflict
The persistent flooding has been linked to factors such as 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, forcing countless families to flee.
For many displaced families, the unfinished Jonglei Canal—a colonial-era project intended to divert water north to Egypt—has become a sanctuary, offering higher ground amid rising floodwaters.
But life remains precarious for those like Nyabuot Reat Kuor. “We survive on what we can find,” she said. “Wild plants, water lilies. We just want food and help to live.”
South Sudan’s flooding crisis is not just an environmental disaster but a full-blown humanitarian emergency, highlighting the fragility of a nation grappling with conflict, poverty, and climate vulnerability. For Nyabuot and thousands like her, the struggle for survival continues, with no end to the crisis in sight.
