South Sudan is increasingly feeling the harsh effects of climate change which have led to drought and floods, with devastating consequences for already vulnerable populations in one of Africa’s most fragile and insecure countries.
“I didn’t think my children would survive,” said Veronica Nyambol, displaced with her children by mass flooding, now living in Bentiu, South Sudan’s largest IDP camp.
“Before the floods, I used to cultivate maize, sorghum, kudra and okra, as well as milk from the cattle and sold it. At that time I was never worried about my children,” she continued.
“We know that the flooding affected us in many ways last time, so when we hear of it again, a lot of things cross our mind,” 16-year-old Nathaniel Thon said. “Our schools will get disrupted, our community will be in poverty and us children will suffer again.”
Heavy rainfall and severe floods in South Sudan are impacting around 1.4 million people, with nearly 380,000 displaced, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said earlier this month noting that the East African country is experiencing one of its worst flooding in decades.
Seasonal flooding
South Sudan — with a population of more than 11 million people — is considered one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. It is also one of the poorest and least equipped to adapt.
In May, the government alerted the international community about the risk of above-average rainfall and record-level floods in the subsequent months. Since then, inundations have obliterated homes, destroyed crops, and severely damaged critical infrastructure, leading to disruption in education and health services while increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.
Poor road infrastructure or the lack of any passable roads severely hinders outside assistance from reaching remote locations.
Flood levels largely vary from one year to another as fluctuations in the water level of Lake Victoria upstream and variations in seasonal rainfall, especially from May to October, result in yearly shifts in flooded areas.
Flooding is a core feature of the Sudd region of South Sudan, one of the world’s largest wetlands. Situated in a depression, the Sudd serves as a reservoir for the White Nile filling during the rainy season and partially draining into the river in the dry season. Its unique flat geography and non-porous soil prevent most floodwater from draining into the Nile, provoking prolonged flooding.
Grappling with hunger
Daniel Akech Thiong, a senior analyst for South Sudan at the International Crisis Group (ICG), explained that the primary cause of the flooding is the rise in water levels as the Nile passes through a vast network of smaller rivers, swamps and floodplains in the Sudd.
“Because of the topography of the region, the Nile overflows when the increased water reaches these wetlands,” the ICG’s analyst told The New Arab, pointing to floods-prone areas like Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei states.
He added that abundant precipitation contributes to persistent flooding, hinting at pouring rains since May this year along with rising water levels around Lake Victoria, one of Africa’s Great Lakes, that have caused the Nile to spill over.
Flooding can expand the water surface area for years, reducing land available for grazing, farming, and housing. Exceptional flood waters have hindered people from tending to their farmlands and livestock.
In the longer run, intense rains and flooding can increase mosquito numbers, raising the risk of vector-borne diseases including dengue and yellow fever. There have been rising cases of malaria, respiratory tract infections and acute watery diarrhoea. Widespread floods can also heighten people’s exposure to chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension as well as lung cancer, heart disease and strokes.
Humanitarian agencies say deluges are affecting between 750,000 and more than one million people every year in South Sudan, forcing half of them to leave their homeland to move to upland regions.
Extensive flooding has led to great crop and livestock losses and prompted worries that these displaced communities may never be able to return to their lands. This, in turn, critically impacts food security and livelihoods in a country where the majority of the population depends on agriculture, livestock and forestry.
“The situation is becoming more catastrophic as communities are left vulnerable or almost giving up. Many have left everything behind, some even escaped with just the clothes they were wearing,” Maura Ajak a South Sudanese journalist, commented in an interview with The New Arab.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), 7 out of 10 people in South Sudan are food insecure, and more than 1.6 million children are malnourished. The Greater Upper Nile region is the most adversely affected by annual flooding, and it has the highest levels of food insecurity.
“Farmlands and crops have been devastated, cattle have died, and people in this region are grappling with hunger,” said Kor Chop, a researcher at Juba-based Sudd Environment Agency (SEA) which advocates for the protection and environmental conservation.
‘It’s very worrying’
Actively involved in the preservation of the wetland ecosystem, the South Sudanese eco-advocate conducted a field assessment in the Unity State in September. “In parts of the state, you can’t see vegetation or ordinary grass, even the wildlife has migrated. It’s very worrying,” he spoke out. His own home is situated in Ulang, a county in the eastern part of the Upper Nile State, another location that has been badly harmed by inundations.
The latest floods are compounding an already acute humanitarian situation amid food insecurity, economic stagnation, disease outbreaks, protracted conflict, and the repercussions of the ongoing war in Sudan which pushed several hundred thousand people into South Sudan.
Besides torrential flooding, the Horn of Africa country experiences long periods of drought. Last year, half the country was in exceptional drought for at least six months. Extended drought means the soil becomes drier, harder, and less permeable, which reduces its ability to absorb water, builds up overflow, and exacerbates the risk of flooding. Rains tend to be erratic, with shorter rainy periods due to climate change triggering longer dry spells that translate to droughts causing crop failure or reducing water resources.
In the last 30 years, South Sudan has been among the most rapidly warming locations globally, with temperatures rising to 0.53 °C per decade. In March 2024, it faced extremely high heat levels, with temperatures soaring to 45°C in some regions.
In addition, El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole, two weather phenomena that often coexist in the tropics, have escalated climate patterns in the country, bringing continued dry conditions and variable rainfall, subsequently resulting in shrinking wetlands and severe damage to crops producing less yields and food production. This leaves children vulnerable to malnutrition or forces them into work to help generate income in agricultural communities.
Although people affected by extreme flooding may flee to higher ground, drought in these areas culminates in the destruction of the limited crops for farmers, and the loss of grazing area, animals or access to water for cattle herders.
Moreover, floodwaters mixing with oil spills are threatening South Sudan’s vital water sources. South Sudanese reporter Ajak recently visited the Unity State, a major oil-producing state, as part of a BBC investigation revealing that worsening climate-driven floods have spread toxic pollution from nearby oil facilities into local water supplies.
“Flooding has exposed the mismanagement of oil wealth,” the local journalist asserted. She mentioned that the government is conducting an environmental audit of the impact of the oil industry but the findings have not been released over a year later than expected.
Mitigation strategies
Thiong, who is also the author of the upcoming book Climate Shocks and Pastoralist Migration in South Sudan, noted that one major issue in climate-driven migration within South Sudan is the overcrowding of “green zones in upland regions, where people migrate after being forced out by the floods.
“As more people squeeze into these dry areas, conflicts for resources arise,” he added, referring to the local conflict between pastoralists and farmers as the newly displaced transition to alternative means of livelihood.
Chop similarly pointed out that displacement from increased variability of rainfall can exacerbate “competition” over limited resources in the resettlement zones, thus creating “tensions” between the local communities and the displaced people.
The environmental activist hopes the recently concluded COP29 talks will initiate action on South Sudan’s climate threat and put forward some recommendations.
Flood and drought “mitigation strategies” need to be put in place, namely the promotion of tree planting, planting of drought and flood-resistant crops, and the construction of long-lasting dykes and dams. He also suggested early climate-related warning systems should be introduced to provide timely advisories to improve preparedness and build resilience.
Both Thiong and Chop agreed that it is crucial to engage the local community alongside the government in the process of addressing the country’s unique climate challenges since their local knowledge enables them to implement effective interventions.
The South Sudanese specialist, who was previously involved in an environmental and wildlife protection advocacy project, stated that his country lags much behind its neighbouring countries in the adoption of core practical solutions to tackle climatic shocks.
“South Sudan has zero infrastructure to respond to these shocks, and there is no long-term, comprehensive climate assessment to guide effective responses,” he stressed.
Alessandra Bajec is a freelance journalist currently based in Tunis
Follow her on X: @AlessandraBajec
