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South Sudan Situation Report, 29 November 2019

Countries
South Sudan
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Sources
OCHA
Publication date
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HIGHLIGHTS

  • More than 700,000 flood-affected people receive assistance in worst hit areas

  • Measles outbreak confirmed in Ikotos County, Eastern Equatoria

  • South Sudan: Three humanitarian workers killed

  • Amid rising concerns about mental health, increased suicide cases in Malakal Protection of Civilians site

  • South Sudan Humanitarian Fund allocates US$36 million to respond to life-saving needs

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

More than 700,000 flood-affected people receive assistance in worst hit areas

Generous and timely contributions of over $47 million from donors has allowed humanitarian organizations to scale-up flood responses in some of the worst affected areas across South Sudan. The funding represents 76 per cent of the $61.5 million appeal.

The worst seasonal flooding South Sudan has seen in many years, has caused extreme destruction to lives and livelihoods of nearly one million people. Over 620,000 people needed immediate humanitarian assistance.

The flood water in some locations have destroyed homes, displaced families, crops, rendered basic services and markets non-functional, particularly in Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity, Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Eastern Equatoria and parts of Central Equatoria. Basic infrastructure has also been damaged, including boreholes now contaminated with tainted water.

Preliminary forecasts also show that 75,000 hectares of cultivated land has been damaged due to flooding in affected areas, with an estimated loss of 73,000 metric tons of cereals. This represents approximately 15 per cent loss in production in the affected areas.

As of 29 November, about 7000 metric tons of food commodities have been distributed to some 700, 000 flood-affected people across the country, with distributions continuing into other priority locations. Additional response teams have been deployed to the affected areas to rapidly expand the life-saving registration and distribution.

In Akobo and Ayod counties of Jonglei, 11,000 households have received agricultural inputs, vegetable seeds and fishing kits. More distributions, targeting 65,000 families are taking place in the affected-counties in Upper Nile, Jonglei, Unity and Abyei. Some 2,500 households have been assisted with the minimum water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) packages.

9,000 households have been assisted with the Emergency Flood Rapid Response Kits, while distribution to 12,000 families is currently underway. The emergency kits contain plastic sheets; mosquito nets; blanket; filter cloth; pur sachets; aquatabs; collapsible jerry can and a fishing kit. More than 220 metric tons of emergency aid items—assorted food items, health, nutrition, shelter, protection and WASH supplies—have made their way to priority locations via air and waterway.

Despite the response, physical access due to increasing flood waters has constrained the scale-up, making delivery of emergency relief supplies to flood affected people slow. Humanitarian organizations are using air and waterways to transport aid to hard-to-reach locations. In some areas where water levels remain high, particularly in Pibor in Jonglei, the affected people have had to walk through mud and water to the distribution points. To increase access and response activities, humanitarian organization and local community members are repairing roads as quickly as is permittable, particularly in the Maban area, one of the worst hit by the flooding.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.