Hundreds made homeless as their houses flooded

By Manyang Mayom

June 30, 2010 (RUMBEK) – Over two hundred households in Western Bahr el Ghazal state are made homeless when their homes were flooded on Tuesday due to heavy rains in the area.

SPLM official reporter, James Dimo, told Sudan Tribune that “On Tuesday an estimated two hundred houses from a remote new site of Bilpam residential areas were hit by heavy rainfall water. Families stay homeless and more feared trapped by a torrent of water, mud and living reptiles including crocodiles that just appear in front of house buildings on Tuesday night”.

There is still heavy rainfall going on and water flood is increasing too much. A high number of people are staying under the trees without houses or addresses. There are lodges and villages around that area of Bilpam which are evocated due to worsening situation. However, the large-scale of floodwater has damaged railway line infrastructure which was rehabilitated some months ago.

Peter Manyuat Upieu who is a resident of new Bilpam, said that “whatever belongs to us has to be flown away by water and my family assets including my chickens, goods and my garden crops are being destroyed, I have only managed to save the life of my children.

Dimo explained that large areas of township are cut off by flooding and life of children plus pregnant mothers are in threats due to diseases such as malaria – the walking style become also hard for pregnant mother to do so due to mud places.

Manyuat explained that the cause of the flood was a result railway rehabilitation work, adding that that small stream river which connects Bilpam area to Wau town road which flow water was blocked by railway contractor during recent construction.

(ST)