Juba University’s VC urges gov’t to move people to higher ground, warns against dredging

JUBA – Moving flood victims in Unity State to higher ground is the best solution which is better than dredging water tributaries, Prof. John Akec Vice-Chancellor of the University of Juba said.

Professor Akec, made this suggestion during the round-table discussion hosted by Radio Miraya on Saturday.

“The solution is what we already proposed, to allow people to move to a safe area, to higher ground and then we do the studies and construct dykes and it will take a year,” Akec said.

Akec believed that dredging rivers scientifically is not a solution to flooding.

“This dredging project is an old program, it goes back ever before flooding and its impact is going to be worse than the solution,” said Akec.

He claimed that dredging of water is an Egyptian project which has a devastating impact on Sudd.

“Dredging is 100 percent Egyptian project and it can have a very devastating impact on Sudd and ever those people who are now underwater. The place would be dry and their livelihood would be affected.”

“For short term solution, we need to place people on higher ground and then we try to find solutions which are actually long term and middle term,” he added.

On June 1, the ministry of water resources and irrigation announced that arrival of river dredging machines to Bentiu from Egypt via Sudan as the government gets closer to the process.

The arrival of the machines sparked social media controversy with some saying the government shouldn’t conduct the process as it will drain many parts of South Sudan of water.

The dredging will start from the Naam River from Rubkotna junction in Unity State to Lake No just north of the Sudd swamp, where the Bahr el Ghazal River meets the River Kiir.