Floodwaters Push a Town to the Brink
Season after season, sheets of water have crept across Pibor, swallowing streets, markets and the airstrip. Minister of Information Jacob Werchum admits the low-lying settlement is now “highly flood-prone,” a reality reinforced by downpours that pounded the Greater Pibor Administrative Area on 27 September 2025.
Officials Outline a Upland Vision
Werchum says the regional cabinet has “a plan to move people to the high ground permanently,” though surveys will wait for the coming dry spell (Eye Radio, 27 Sept 2025). Engineers are expected to map ridges north of the current site, searching for land firm enough to host a new civic centre.
Displacement Figures Mount Daily
The Relief and Rehabilitation Commission counts 13,907 households—more than 70,000 people—already uprooted by knee-deep floodwater. Chairperson David Ngiro Yankon warns that blocked roads and shuttered markets have severed food lines, stretching family reserves and heightening malnutrition risks among children and expectant mothers.
Safety Warnings Along the Riverbank
During a joint survey with the International Organization for Migration, Chief Gola Boyoi Gola urged residents to remain at least 100 metres from the swelling river. “Waters rise suddenly at night,” Werchum cautions, reminding families to store documents and medicines where they can be grabbed quickly.
Humanitarian Response Gathers Pace
International agencies are pre-positioning boats, plastic sheeting and water-purification tablets ahead of expected airlift constraints. Aid workers note that health posts on higher ground still function, offering cholera vaccines and malaria nets as standing pools become mosquito nurseries. Funding gaps, however, threaten prolonged reliance on emergency rations.
Assessing Long-Term Resilience
Urban planners argue that moving Pibor could create opportunities: raised roadbeds, improved drainage and zoning rules to curb unplanned sprawl. Yet elders worry about ancestral graves and trading links tied to the river. Government teams say community consultations will shape any blueprint before the first brick is laid.