At least 16 people have died due to flood in Man-lor County of Tonj State because of heavy rainfall, says Information Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, William Wol Mayom.
Speaking to Don Bosco Radio he explains that the flooding has also affected greater former Tonj North Counties. It displaced more than sixty thousand people and destroyed over thirteen thousand households in the affected areas.
‘Concerning the flooding, it has affected the whole ten counties of Tonj North. These include AWul County, Warrap, Pagol, Korok, Manloor, Konggor, Rualbet, Akok, and Marial Lou of former Tonj North. These ten counties are affected by the floods. However the Governor of the state accessed the level of damage when he visited Warrap. The whole of ten thousand counties, thirteen thousand houses have been destroyed by water. Over sixty three thousand people are being displaced’.
The 16 people who died include 2 expectant mothers, says the Minister of Information. Wol blames lack of nearby health facility in the area to rescue the people.
‘Sixteen people are confirmed dead because of the flooding. The course of this flooding is rain with a little water drainage from Pagol drainage or swampy side. This has caused also a flooding in the whole counties of Tonj North. However, out of these sixteen people, three are snake bite cases, six are confirmed to be unknown waterborne diseases which can cause sometimes vomiting, high fever and one can die easily and two expectant mothers are confirmed out of these sixteen people to have died of malaria because there was no any nearby hospital or medication and the roads are blocked by water’ Wol explains.
Wol says the state government is concerned and will send a team to rescue the lives of the people.
‘The government of Tonj State has already intervened, by instructing the Minister of Health to send drugs to the scene so that these people can be helped from these waterborne diseases. Other assistances will come later on’, he requests the state ministry of health.
He calls on the humanitarian agencies, well-wishers and other partners to intervene and assist the victims.
‘I am appealing to the humanitarian agencies to quickly intervene by sending their team to assess the reported cases so that help or intervention can be quick. We are also requesting our well-wishers, the business people of Tonj and friends of Tonj and whoever is willing to quickly assist in terms of non food items or shelters so that these people are rescued because they are camping along the road side, sometimes they are camping at the high land and their crops are destroyed by the flooding’, Wol pleaded.
The Minister of Information spoke to Don Bosco Radio after getting report of the disastrous flood in Tonj North, particularly Man-lor County.