Loss & Damage: Climate crisis in SS

South Sudan | November 2022

The climate crisis is exacerbating the vulnerability of this already unstable country, bringing it ever closer to collapse. It is imperative that immediate action is taken to address the root causes of this crisis and support the affected communities.

 

South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, is facing its fourth consecutive year of massive floods, with 2022 being the highest level yet. This comes as the country has been plagued by politico-ethnic violence and chronic instability since its independence from Sudan in 2011. The floods have submerged large swathes of the country, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and causing widespread destruction. This multi-year inundation is the first of its kind in South Sudan in over six decades, with two-thirds of the country currently experiencing flooding. According to UNHCR, nearly one million people have been directly impacted by water and forced to flee their homes in search of food and shelter. Up to 7.8 million people risk severe hunger in 2023 due to floods, drought, and conflict.

The reasons for these floods are a combination of climate change consequences, including higher levels of rainfall during the longer rainy season, deforestation in neighboring countries, population growth, and poor water management. The high levels in the White Nile River have pushed more water into the Sudd, one of the richest living systems on the planet and one of the largest floodplains in Africa. Today the water is no longer draining away, and it did not subside during the dry season. The heavy rains and floods have swept away people’s homes, properties, crops, livestock, schools, and healthcare centers, and caused extensive infrastructural damage to roads and bridges, limiting access to education infrastructures.

The climate crisis is exacerbating the vulnerability of this already unstable country, bringing it ever closer to collapse. It is imperative that immediate action is taken to address the root causes of this crisis and support the affected communities.

 

A Tukul - a typical south Sudanese house - flooded by floodwaters near Mayendit, Unity State, South Sudan, November 23, 2022. Unprecedented floods have submerged large swathes of the country and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. In the villages, most of the houses are built with straw wood and plastic sheeting, which has further aggravated the consequences of the floods.
A former secondary school submerged by floodwaters in the White Nile river swamps between Leer and Mayendit, Unity State, South Sudan, November 23, 2022. The floods have caused extensive infrastructural damage to roads, bridges, and schools; have destroyed or severely compromised water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities; damaged and/or limited access to health and education infrastructures, and disrupted markets and livelihoods.
A basketball court submerged by floodwaters in Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan, November 22, 2022. In the area, the water level rose between one and two meters high, devastating everything in its path. Infrastructure, homes, offices, hospitals, bridges, and roads disappeared underwater.
A primary school submerged by flood waters in the White Nile river swamps between Leer and Mayendit, Unity State, South Sudan, November 22, 2022. Since 2019, unprecedented floods have submerged large swathes of the country and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The floods have caused extensive infrastructural damage to roads, bridges, and schools; have destroyed or severely compromised water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.
A hospital bed submerged by floodwaters in Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan, November 23, 2022. Unprecedented floods have submerged large swathes of the country and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Two-thirds of the people living in Mayendit have fled and become internally displaced. No humanitarian organizations are present in the village and all basic needs are missing including hospitals, food, and hygienic services.
A car submerged by flood waters in Mayendit, Unity State, South Sudan, November 23, 2022. Unprecedented floods have submerged large swathes of the country and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Mayendit is one of those villages which is disappearing underwater. In 2020 more than 12.000 people were living there, but in the last two years, two-thirds of them left it to eventually become internally displaced.
A house previously used to stock food supplies is submerged by floodwaters near Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan, November 22, 2022. Unprecedented floods have submerged large swathes of the country and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Today the water is no longer draining away and didn’t subside during the dry season, leaving more than 8 million people at risk of starvation.
An armored vehicle submerged by flood waters in Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan, November 23, 2022. South Sudan, the world's youngest country plagued by politic-ethnic violence and chronic instability since its independence from Sudan in 2011, is experiencing massive floods for the fourth consecutive year, reaching its highest level of destruction in 2022.