Undated photo of flooding in Melut. (Credit: Radio Tamazuj).

The commissioner of Melut County in Upper Nile State has described the flood situation as very awful – after reported tens of thousands of people were displaced.

Deng Jou said on Tuesday, fresh floods has battered four Payams of Melut County, displacing 60,000 of the locals.

“The situation here in the county I can say that it’s very awful, the southern area have been affected completely and seriously by the floods,” said the commissioner.

He added that the floods started after the River Nile burst its banks, flooding Galdora, Tan-grial, Po-nom-dit and Wena-num Payams.

Speaking to Eye Radio from Melut, he said the magnitude of flooding is increasing.

“The first statistic, and we are sure because the number of people is increasing, two days ago we did our statistic and we know that in Galdora Payam alone, there have been more than sixty thousand people have been affected, not to mention the other Payams because we have an issue of accessibility there.”

Commissioner Jou appealed to aid agencies to carry out an assessment and provide humanitarian assistance to the affected people.

He said several households in parts of the four Payams are lacking food and shelter.

According to a UN report, around one million people have been affected by extreme flooding in South Sudan this year, while conflict and economic dislocation have created a renewed famine risk.