Flooded section of Juba International Airport. (-)

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management warned that Juba International Airport is at risk of flooding, adding that parts of the runway is submerged due to lack of drainage system amid fears of rising levels of Nile water.

Albino Akol Atak said the situation poses a significant threat to air traffic system as the western section of the airport has already been submerged in rainwater from residential areas.

Minister Atak and a team from the Civil Aviation Authority visited the airport on Friday and identified major challenges facing the critical infrastructure and mitigation measures.

Speaking on state-owned television SSBC, the humanitarian official said the government is planning to open an alternative route to drain water from residential areas.

“We visited the airport, and it is also under threat of flood rainwater, we are also anticipating that when the Nile rises, it may also affect the airport,” Atak said.

“We had a detailed briefing from the Civil Aviation, and they managed to identify the challenges and what needed to be done.”

The humanitarian minister said a technical committee is set to be formed to come up with measures to control the flooding situation of the airport.

“They suggests opening of the drainage system that passes through the airport to remove water coming from residential areas that are close to them, and later on, we can what we can do further.”

On her part, Anita KiKi Gbeha, UN Humanitarian Coordinator says that any disruption to the air traffic system at the airport would affect humanitarian operations.

“The flood committee is currently touring parts of the states looking for need and preparedness. We also visited the airport to look at the threat to the airport and national infrastructure,” she said.

“We are all aware that without the airport, we would be unable to provide or support or any assistance effort that taking place throughout the country.”