Family pack their belongings to leave their flooded home in Rumbek East County. (Social Media).

As the UN humanitarian agency said more than 710,000 people have been affected by the foreseen flashfloods across 30 counties as of September 5, we publish some pictures telling of the disastrous events currently unfolding in different parts of the country.

Photo taken on August 2024 shows locals in Ayod County, Jonglei State scrambling to drain a flooded area with their bare hands as dyke was washed away due to the torrential rainfall and rising Nile water level. (Social media).

Undated photo shows a woman and her daughter standing beside their submerged homestead in Nzara County of Western Equatoria State, where flooding has displaced over 1,000 people following heavy rains. (Courtesy).

An international aid group warned earlier that more than 3 million people will be impacted by a major flood event in South Sudan in the second half of 2024, many of whom will need humanitarian assistance.

IMPACT Initiatives said by September and October, when floodwaters have peaked, relief actors will grapple with a scenario in which more than three million people are affected and 2.4 million need aid.

Government ministries have already called for preparations against the imminent flooding in the northern and central parts of South Sudan after record rise in Lake Victoria water level.

According to the IGAD climate center (ICPAC), the current rainy season in the Greater Lakes region indicates potential increase in volumes of water in rivers and lakes in Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and DRC.

(Undated photo taken in early September 2024 shows a woman moving through flooded homestead in Rumbek East County of Lakes State. (Courtesy).

In Rumbek East in Lakes State, the commissioner said days of heavy rain in early September triggered flooding that submerged his headquarters and forced hundreds of people out of their homes in the area.

Mangar Machol said a drastic increase in water level of the local Barnam river caused it to overflow its banks and submerge settlements, displacing an unspecified number of households to higher grounds.

He narrated that several shelters made of mud walls have collapsed while livestock have been left without grazing land in several villages.

Families displaced by flooding in Fangak County of Jonglei State cram themselves on heaps of papyrus leaves as the entire area sinks underwater. (-)

UN-OCHA said floods have displaced over 15,000 people in Fangak County with thousands fleeing daily to Tonga and Panyikang in Upper Nile, where registration and verification for humanitarian assistance is ongoing.

“While some stay in the town, others have relocated to higher ground designated by local authorities. The most urgent needs include medical care, protection services, shelter, and non-food items,” said the agency.

UNHCR staff distribute blankets, mosquito nets and other essentials to over 200 families in Old Fangak, which is one of the most flood-affected counties across South Sudan this year. (Photo: UNHCR South Sudan).