Rain threatens to make South Sudan roads impassable, says UNOCHA

August 1, 2013 (JUBA) – Heavy rain is threatening to make most roads across South Sudan impassable, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has said.

In its weekly humanitarian bulletin on South Sudan, OCHA says roads across the country are increasingly becoming inaccessible.

“Roads across the country, especially in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states are fast becoming inaccessible as rains continue”, said the report covering the period between 22-28 July.

The situation potentially has far reaching implications, particularly for Pibor county in Jonglei state, where aid agencies have reported that they are already facing enormous logistical challenges in reaching those displaced by fighting.

Despite the challenges, OCHA says aid organisations were able to drop food supplies to 3,700 people in Dorein, as well as register 2,090 households in Labran.

However, the UN agency says it continues to face difficulties in reaching another two locations, where an estimated 21,000-26,000 people are in need of assistance.

“Delivery of food items in the two locations has been slow due to limited air assets. From 22 to 26 July, two helicopters moved 30.9 metric tonnes of aid supplies to Dorein and Labrab”, the report said.

In an effort to address ongoing logistical challenges in the area, OCHA says three more helicopters are currently being mobilised.

According to the report, aid organisations have improved the supply of safe drinking water to 14,000 people in Warrap state’s Tonj South county, where nine new boreholes have been drilled in 10 villages.

Meanwhile, rehabilitation of 16 broken boreholes that will supply 20,000 people with clean drinking water is also ongoing in Gogrial East and West, and Tonj South counties.

OCHA says that as part of efforts to boost food production in Lakes state, some 3,000 households out of the targeted 8,000 received seeds and farming tools.

(ST)