Floodwaters Engulf Upper Nile State
Relentless rainfall has pushed the White Nile above seasonal levels, spilling across Makal County and neighbouring payams. Local riverbanks gave way last week, turning farmlands into lakes within hours.
Displacement Statistics and Urgent Needs
County officials estimate over 7,000 residents have fled flooded villages. Temporary shelters are overcrowded, and stocks of sorghum, beans, and clean water are dwindling fast.
Local Leaders Voice SOS
“Almost the entire county is affected,” commissioner Michael Othow Bol told local media. “Waters are advancing from the bushes and the river; safer ground is disappearing.”
“Schools are closed. Lelo, Obwoo, Warjwok, and Ditang lie underwater,” he added, warning that Malakal town may soon be cut off by road.
Health Risks Surge Amid Deluge
“Snakebites are rising alongside water levels,” noted Batholomew Obach Ngor of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission. Clinics report dwindling anti-venom supplies as families wade through knee-deep water to reach higher ground.
Calls for Coordinated Aid Response
Ngor warned that Ogot and Lelo are “particularly hard-hit,” urging agencies to move residents to Alal, the lone dry zone in Wau-Shilluk. Youth volunteers are racing to raise mud dykes, yet fresh torrents threaten to overtop their efforts.