22 November 2013 - The South Sudanese government and humanitarian organizations continued today to distribute food and non-food items to thousands of local communities affected by floods across Jonglei State.

Distribution, which began in the capital Bor on 21 November for three days, included food, water, sanitation materials and plastic shelters donated by the government, World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF and non-governmental organizations.

About 2,753 households (13,765 individuals) displaced by flooding in Bor had been receiving assistance, said Gabriel Deng Ajak, state director of the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission.

Some 12 locations in Bor had been affected by flooding by the second weeks of November, he added, striking a wider area than incidents in early August and September.

“We are doing our utmost to ease the plight of affected communities and to assist them in close collaboration with our humanitarian partners, including WFP and UNICEF,” the director said.

He added that similar aid had been airlifted to Pochalla County by helicopters provided by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

WFP head in Jonglei Yasuyuki Misawa said 49 metric tons of assistance were being distributed in Pochalla to 4,186 households (5,781 individuals). About 46 metric tons would soon be delivered to 680 flood affected households (5,253 individuals) in Duk County.

Mr. Misawa noted that 30,023 metric tons of assistance had been distributed in Ayod, Uror and Twic East counties as well as in Bor South for 7,348 households (34,295 individuals).

Director Ajak called on the government and partners to find lasting solutions for recurrent flood problems in the state.

Located adjacent to the Nile River, Bor experiences similar flooding every year during the rainy season, as heavy waters burst its banks.