What comes and goes with the rainy season
By Milly Bayi Nyuga
Rains in Juba that had kept most people on their toes are now finally pouring. While this is great news to crop growers, it could be a time to worry for others, who are the business owners.
For the crop growers; both those who had planted prior to those who are planting now, and have plans of doing so in this season. Groundnuts, pigeon peas (korofo), okra farmers are now getting ready to plant.
However, for those who are not of the crop growing group, how well have we braced ourselves for this new-old weather?
To the senior four candidates, shop owners, agriculturalists, hawkers, public transport, private car users and generally everybody who has been affected by the rain.
Senior four candidates are likely to have rough examination days this period. The rains do not have a schedule, since it poured in the morning today, it can pour at noon tomorrow and in the evening the next day. I saw a candidate riding to school at about 9:20 am today. He was already soaked and late but he had to brave the rain so preceded.
No hawkers, street vendors would be traced; some of these businesses were halted by the wind and rain. The street umbrellas could not withstand it too. The mini floods by and in the roads would not have spared any goods thereby.
With some businesses like shop operators, whenever it rains, little to no customer comes around. A trader from Konyokonyo shared how devastating it is for him to operate on rainy days.
“The rain brings everything to a standstill. No customers are around when it rains and this is frustrating because it leads to low sales. It gets worrisome when it rains for more than a day consecutively especially now that the rainy season seems to be starting.” Marvin Wamanga, a shop attendant in Konyokonyo worried.
Motorists pack their machines. For those who fail to locate a favourable shed, their bikes are left to shower long enough. The roads are only left with private cars freely splashing street water on more street water because the public vehicles’ movement reduces, since passengers barely move out too.
Unfortunately with consecutive rains come floods, stagnant water and definitely disease. Diseases and infections associated with this season like colds, flu, malaria, and typhoid should be keeping us cautious. Mosquitoes too which breed in stagnant water and tall grasses now have many homes to live.
Rubbish thrown along or into the roads to be carried away by running water is a shameless act done by locals in town who do not find fault at their actions. There is no conviction that this reckless act could be the cause of an outbreak of cholera, dysentery, typhoid which could be an utterly horrible situation in the country.
In 2020, the Global Task Force on Cholera Control; in South Sudan reported a plan being developed to provide sustainable solutions for combating cholera in the country. This was via the Cholera outbreak and prevention program in South Sudan.
“The South Sudan National Cholera Platform is also developing a five-year National Cholera Control Plan that embodies multisectoral interventions for sustainable control of cholera by addressing the underlying drivers of the cholera risk in the hotspot areas” according to the Cholera outbreak and prevention in South Sudan.
“A person can get cholera by drinking water or eating food contaminated with cholera bacteria. In an epidemic, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person that contaminates water or food. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water.” www.cdc.gov
For a country whose drinking water, sewerage management and garbage management are still very poor, it is up to all individually to keep alert and safe even during this rainy season.