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South Sudan

Jonglei: Twic East faces flooding for the second time

December 13, 2013 (BOR) - Twic East county in South Sudan's Jonglei state is faced with heavy floods for the second time this year. Kongoor payam [district] is one of the worst affected, while the floods are just metres from the headquarters of Panyagoor county on Friday evening.

Dau Akoi, the commissioner of Twic East county told Sudan Tribune that the returning floods were a big problem, adding that the Pawel area "is already taken over by flood and [it] is almost reaching us in Panyagoor."

Two months ago the first floods took control of Kongoor, Nyuak and Lith payams of Twic East after hippopotami broke the main dyke that protected the payams from flooding.

Lith has been flooded ever since the first floods in August. The populations of the three affected payams of Twic East is over 40,000.

In Bor county, Mathiang village and other villages around Baidit payam were flooded between August and September, displacing large numbers of people.

"In my village people lay down their fishing nets. You move there by small wooden boat. All houses were demolished by flood. It will never go back", Ayak Alier Mac, who was displaced from Mathinag, told Sudan Tribune.

Little has been done to the families displaced from Mathiang and Mac-deng villages by the government and humanitarians partners according to Ayak, who is now living in Bor, the state capital.

"I came and forced my way to be registered here with the people who were displaced by floods here in Bor, because where we were ignored at our side. They did not even come to see us", he said.

Ayak received a half food ration for his family from Relief and Rehabilitation Commission and non-food items from the Red Cross in late last month.

(ST)