One of the excavators used for the construction of dykes in Fangak County - Courtesy

The construction of dykes has begun around the flood-prone Fangak County of Jonglei State, the state minister of information has said.

According to John Samuel Manyuon, the initiative is supported by the UN’s World Food Program.

Manyuon says the construction is taking place in the two areas of New Fangak and Old Fangak.

This aims to fortify settlements against river banks as the area braces for another inevitable year of flooding.

Fangak, a small island of over 100,000 people in the Sudd region is one of the hardest-hit areas by flash floods in the country in recent months.

The consecutive flooding resulted in the destruction of livelihoods and mass displacement of the civilian population there.

Minister Manyuon says the initiative being undertaken in collaboration with the state government, will help prevent another humanitarian crisis in the area.

“The ongoing construction of the dyke in Fangak happened as a result of an initiative from the county leadership and the state to see how best we can be able to mitigate the disaster that happened in the past three years; the flooding,” Manyuon told Eye Radio on Friday.

“Fangak is one of the hardest-hit areas within Jonglei, so up to now, most of the areas are still underwater, and through that effort, we consulted with the partners who are able to help and WFP actually came in to support in the dyke’s construction.

“The equipment arrived this week so they started their work and from the commissioner down there we got the update that they are getting on so well.”

Flooding in Fangak is said to have prevented people from cultivating land since 2020, and has resulted in populations converging on highlands or moving further towards Sudan.