By Philip Buda Ladu
Council of Ministers has passed an emergency flood preparedness and mitigation response plan for 2024 worth 78 million US dollars.
That’s in response to the anticipated looming flash floods that’s expected to overwhelm the country this wet season due to the release of excess water from Lake Victoria reservoir downstream to South Sudan.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Albino Akol Atak, presented the memo on flood preparedness and response plan 2024 to the cabinet during their regular meeting No. 12/2024, chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, on Friday.
Deputy National Minister of Information, Jacob Maiju Korok told the media shortly after the meeting that the objective of the plan is to enhance the country’s ability to prepare a response to the anticipated looming flood disaster.
He emphasized that the response plan was also designed to ensure that the government plays a crucial role in preventing loss of life and reducing the impact of the disaster on livelihoods and infrastructure.
Maiju underscored that the plan set mitigation measures that could prevent the disaster.
“So the plan is actually to map the grounds and safe locations where the community will be relocated in the event of floods and also to help rehabilitate and construct dikes along the river banks,” Maiju explained.
Additional community engagement to reduce potential inter-communal conflicts resulting from the movement of displaced communities seeking safe grounds in neighboring communities is paramount, according to Maiju.
“You know, during the floods, when a community moves to different places, it may actually trigger conflicts, so community engagement is very important,” he noted.
Asked about the budget part of the response plan, the acting government spokesperson mentioned local contribution, stating that “we have what we called local contribution; it is 78 million.”
Early this month, the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Pal Mai Deng, urged the government and its partners to immediately activate the National Flood Preparedness and Response Plan for June to December 2024.
Mai made this proactive call in response to the rising water levels in the Nile River and forecasts of above-average rainfall across the country.
In May, Uganda sent a serious alert to South Sudan to get prepared for looming flash floods as it plans to release water downstream from its reservoir in Lake Victoria.
The Ministry of Water Resources warned residents living near the Nile River banks, as they are the first victims to face potential dangers from the severe looming flood, urging early precautions to be taken.
According to a report from the government of Uganda, about 2,400 cubic meters of water from Lake Victoria would be released downstream into the Nile, affecting South Sudan.
The anticipated devastating flooding is presumed to affect most parts of the country this rainy season.