South Sudan braces for severe flooding as Lake Victoria hits record high

JUBA – South Sudan warned on Thursday of potentially devastating floods as water levels in Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile, reached a record high.

Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Pal Mai Deng said information from neighboring Uganda indicated Lake Victoria’s water level had risen to 13.6 meters, the highest in the Nile Basin in 128 years.

This surge has also raised water levels in a dam in Jinja, Uganda.

“The high water levels are overwhelming Jinja dam’s capacity,” Deng said in a statement. “Uganda is forced to release a massive 2,600 cubic meters of water per second downstream into South Sudan.”

Deng warned the unusual water release could trigger floods exceeding those experienced in 2019, 2021, and 2022.

He added that the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) Climate Prediction and Applications Center forecasts wetter-than-average rainfall for South Sudan this year, further compounding the risks.

“This could lead to widespread displacement,” Deng said. “The humanitarian community reports that five million people are already at risk of famine and starvation.”

Joseph Africano Bartel, undersecretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, blamed the situation partly on climate change caused by developed and industrialized nations.

He said South Sudan had developed a national adaptation program to combat climate change but lacked the necessary funding for implementation.

“We have national plans for climate change mitigation and adaptation,” Bartel said. “However, South Sudan needs $100 billion to become climate-proof by 2050.”