ReliefWeb

(07 May 2022): Two OCHA-managed pooled funds have released US$19 million to help communities in South Sudan prepare for severe flooding expected during the rainy season. The country is projected to suffer a fourth consecutive year of extreme flooding over the coming months.

The funding will go to UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to prepare and protect people in the Bentiu camp for internally displaced people and surrounding areas in Unity State, which are among the areas most exposed to severe flooding.

As rains in South Sudan are starting again, large swathes of land in these areas are still under water from the last rainy season. With upstream water levels still high, even limited rains could flood farmland, wash away shelters and exacerbate waterborne diseases, according to analysis by the Centre for Humanitarian Data.

In Unity State, expected flooding could put more than 320,000 people – over a third of whom are already displaced – at risk of further displacement, loss of livelihoods, disease outbreaks and food insecurity.

The South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF) and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) have released the money before the flooding occurs to avert a humanitarian crisis.

Some $4 million of SSHF funds will enable NGOs and UN agencies to reinforce dikes around vital access roads, displaced people’s homes, the airstrip and other infrastructure. The $15 million CERF allocation will support people to protect their homes and key infrastructure, such as latrines and water wells, from flood water, and thus aim to avert a public health emergency.

“Three years of unprecedented flooding have devastated people’s lives,” said Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan. “As the rainy season has started, this funding will enable humanitarian organizations to soften the blow of another crisis by preparing and protecting communities in Bentiu in advance.”

About CERF

Since its establishment 16 years ago, CERF has been one of the fastest mechanisms for providing emergency funding to people in need through rapid allocations to new and deteriorating crises, or where funding has fallen short. The fund pools contributions from a range of donors, and resources are allocated on strict life-saving criteria to help the most vulnerable and at-risk populations.

More than 130 Member States, observers and other donors, including private individuals, have supported the fund through the years with a total of more than $8 billion.

About the SSHF

Since its establishment in 2012, the OCHA-managed SSHF has played an important role in mobilizing and channelling resources to front-line responders, including NGOs and UN agencies, to work with communities to address top-priority humanitarian needs. By allowing donors to pool their contributions to humanitarian work in South Sudan, the Country-Based Pooled Fund also plays an important role in strengthening coordination, maximizing efficiency by prioritizing direct implementation and integration of the response in the worst-affected areas, and supporting local partners.

Twenty Member States, observers and other donors, including private sector donors, have supported the SSHF through the years with a total of almost $1.8 billion.

Read more on South Sudan flood risks from the Centre for Humanitarian Data.

For further details, please contact:

In New York: Anna Jefferys, + 1 347 707 3734, jefferysa@un.org

In Geneva: Jens Laerke, +41 79 472 9750, laerke@un.org