JUBA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, on Thursday warned that looming floods in South Sudan could worsen food insecurity and undermine access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities for its already vulnerable civilians.
According to the international medical charity, recent forecasts indicate an increased likelihood of above-normal rainfall and large volumes of water being released from Lake Victoria and Jinja Dam into the Nile River, which could trigger massive flooding.
Joe Aumuller, epidemiologist activity manager of MSF, said floodwaters could destroy schools, houses, health facilities, and water sources, limiting access to basic services and livelihoods.
Aumuller said that more than 5.4 million people are expected to live in flood-affected areas in the year of 2024, with the rains expected to intensify from July to October.
"The predicted increase in rainfall in 2024 is very concerning given the number of people at risk in flood-prone areas, threats to water, sanitation, and hygiene, and the risk of water and vector-borne disease transmission," Aumuller said in a statement released in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
The medical charity said more than 740,000 refugees and returnees from Sudan are joining nearly 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in South Sudan, while access to health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene services is being constrained amid budget cuts.
Children living in IDP camps in Bentiu Town of Unity State are facing food shortages, with nearly 19 percent of children under five years of age screened in June found to be acutely malnourished, while 6 percent suffer from severe acute malnutrition, noted MSF.
During the widespread flooding in 2021 and 2022, MSF reported a surge in diarrhea cases among children under five in the Bentiu IDP camp, with cases rising to an average of 5,200 from 2,300 in 2020, then decreasing to 2,400 in 2023 as flooding began to subside. MSF added that stagnant water created by flooding also serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, raising the risk of malaria, the leading cause of illness and death among children under five in South Sudan.
Ibrahim Muhammad, MSF's head of mission in South Sudan, said the anticipated flooding could trigger displacement, crop and livestock losses, aid disruptions, and increased disease outbreaks such as hepatitis E, which has become endemic in some parts of South Sudan.
Muhammad said South Sudanese leaders and international relief agencies should take proactive measures to protect civilians from the devastating impacts of flooding.
"It is very clear South Sudan needs support to cope with extreme flooding and further consequences of climate change. Let's hope that the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development talks will help make this a reality for South Sudan, or the cost of human lives will continue to rise," Muhammad said.
