By Bida Elly David
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management has raised concerns over poor infrastructure hindering delivery of humanitarian items to affected areas and called on the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to speedily improve the roads.
He made the statement during his recent visit to Magwi County of Eastern Equatoria State to access the roads that link trucks to reach relief and humanitarian services to the needy in some impeded zones and States across the Country.
South Sudan after attaining its independence from Sudan has been undergoing series of downfalls in various sectors across the Country. One of the major problems that made the Country crippled is the issue of passive infrastructure that annexes the Capital Juba to its states amid transportation.
Due to poor roads, some humanitarian organizations have been faced by number of challenges while transporting humanitarian items to conflict and flood affected states across the Country.
Of recent, the national Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management was allocated over 16 Million United States dollars to fight flood being one of the natural disasters that displaced many citizens in some States.
Reports also indicated that early September this year, heavy torrential rainfall broke down Owingkibul Bridge hindering movement of pedestrians especially learners to access schools.
The ministry’s leadership has contracted some logistics and transportation companies for the supply of the items to the vulnerable population in the affected States but poor roads remained a burning factor for the execution of the project by the twenty five (25) organizations hired.
Speaking during the assessment, Peter Mayen Majongdit, the national Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management said that almost most of the highways that annex the city to some affected states have been destroyed by rain making it hard for his ministry to deliver relief items to the vulnerable people.
He said that stormy rain and flooding were the serious major disasters that have hindered the efforts of his ministry towards reaching the services to the vulnerable population.
Peter reiterated that most feeder roads in the Eastern part of Equatoria have completely been smashed off by the flooding leaving some feeder roads destroyed and flown away.
He said by all means the Ministry of Roads and Bridges should work out the broken bridges and highways to enable trucks pass without getting stuck in the mud.
“The feeder roads in Magwi showed clear devastation caused by flood. The affected feeder roads have hindered our humanitarian delivery to our affected people. The reality we have seen is that immediate action is needed today, not tomorrow for us to reach the items to the affected population in various areas,” he said.