By Kidega Livingstone
Uganda has sent a serious alert to South Sudan to get prepared for looming flash floods as it plans to release water downstream from its reservoir in Lake Victoria.
This will affect most parts of the country this rainy season.
The alert was sent to South Sudan Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, urging that there is a need for proper precautionary measures to be put in place.
States most likely to be affected are Lakes, Upper Nile, Unity, and Warrap.
Chairperson of the Specialized Committee on Water Resources and Irrigation in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Magot Maker Mayindi, informed the parliament about the development in the Nile Basin yesterday.
Mr. Maker said he had received the information from the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation about the looming flash flood warning.
According to a report from the government of Uganda, about 2,400 cubic meters of water from Lake Victoria would be released downstream into the Nile, affecting South Sudan.
That means the populations in the already devastated flood-prone areas should brace for the worst ahead.
“The Committee of Water Resources and Irrigation has gotten the information through the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation that the government of Uganda has informed the government of South Sudan that there is looming flooding that is coming to South Sudan this rainy season,” Maker told lawmakers.
He spoke during the opening of a presentation on sustaining the Sudd Wetland under climate and economic change to MPs by Deng Majok, a researcher on climate change in South Sudan.
“Our committee is preparing a motion to this august house to discuss the matter because the flood is going to affect some parts of South Sudan, mainly Upper Nile, Warrap, and some parts of Lake State, and it’s going to be massive,” he warned.
He echoed the need to inform and sensitize the people who are living and cultivating in the low-land areas earlier so that they are on the safer side.
Maker revealed that it’s high time to share and discuss the information about the environmental hazard in parliament to protect the population going to be affected.
“We are going to work hand in hand to make sure that our environment is safe for all of us because there is a saying that you can live without food and water, but you cannot live for 8 minutes without oxygen. Therefore, it’s important to live in a safe environment,” he expressed.
Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba, said it’s important that members of Parliament be informed of the findings of the research on the environment in the country so that they will be able to pass the same knowledge down to the people in their constituencies.
“People have experienced the flood in South Sudan. We need to understand the most devastation that is coming to South Sudan as a result of climate change,” she emphasized. “We should know, as members of parliament, how to preserve our land. This is the most resilient future for the people of South Sudan.”
She admitted that MPs are very aware that there was a lot of flooding in most parts of South Sudan last year.
The speaker added that some of the points will help them understand the complexities and interplay of the devastating floods that have flashed through most of the region for the past four or so years.
“We are going to listen to him and acquit ourselves with the knowledge so that we shall be able to pass it on to our people,” Nunu noted.