Would you leave home permanently to save your life from floods?
“Simply building dikes is not the solution!” then what is?
Over time from the first flash floods that the country experienced and which completely devastated the communities living in the lowland plains in the area of Unity, Bentiu and … till date, a permanent solution should be provided that will save the people from recurring floods that have already been predicted by many weather experts in regards to our country.
So, simply building dikes is not the solution to such a calamity; the Netherland climate experts warned – but then what solution is there for the people?
“South Sudan is heating up rapidly, resulting in extreme weather conditions. Periods of drought are followed by heavy rainfall.’ 2021 was the third consecutive year of serious flooding. 835,000 local residents were affected by the rising waters. 200,000 people had to flee their homes and now live in camps.” Another fact that was stated by a climate specialist stated and even though right now the weather is not predictable, climate change effects are being realized but what is the way through this world-wide crisis but floods in South Sudan?
But building dikes is not always the solution. ‘After the floods in 2018, young people mobilized to fill sandbags, but the area still flooded again a year later, despite the dikes. Livestock had destroyed the sandbags in some areas, or dikes had been affected by erosion. You also need to be able to maintain dikes, and protect them. People can learn all sorts of technological solutions to make that possible, but it also has to be financially viable.’ What’s more, South Sudan is struggling with a humanitarian and political crisis.” The report stated.
One under looked solution can be relocation to area of higher ground. Given the worsening climate crisis and need to adapt to it, permanent relocation would be effective to the communities but first they will have to accept to leave their ancestral homes to live – are they ready to leave?