Kiir’s office ‘not informed’ on river dredging machines currently in Bentiu

JUBA – South Sudan presidency has said that the government has not given any approval for the dredging of Naam/Bahr el Ghazal river, saying it does not event has idea as to the dredging equipment that have arrived in Bentiu.

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.

But the press secretary in the office of the president Ateny Wek Ateny claims that the government hasn’t given any approval to the project and it has not even been told of the machines that have arrived in Bentiu.

“The government has not given any approval yet on clearing Nile water or clearing the plants that are inside the Nile. We have not yet been told about those machines completely,” Ateny told Eye Radio Tuesday.

“The government wanted to know from the experts, the ecological impact of clearing the Nile because their livelihood depends very much on the swamps that extends to more than thousands square miles” he added.

Ateny said “South Sudan would want to know if the people who depend on these swamps will be affected. The government of South Sudan is responsible and always does things after the studies and it cannot do things without study that shows the benefit will not outwit the negative impact.”

“The government of South Sudan has called for experts to come. It will be a people-based discussion, they will have a forum to discuss with academia, discuss with intellectuals, and even civil society organizations.

“Any decision about Nile water will be a collective decision and will not be a unilateral decision by the government.”