As flooding becomes a yearly disaster in South Sudan, thousands survive on the edge of a canal

AYOD, South Sudan — Long-horned cattle wade through flooded lands and climb a slope along a canal that has become a refuge for displaced families in South Sudan. Such flooding is becoming a yearly disaster in South Sudan, which the World Bank has described as “the world’s most vulnerable country to climate change and also the one most lacking in coping capacity.” More than 379,000 people have been displaced by flooding this year, according to the U.N humanitarian agency. “We don’t know up to where this flooding would have pushed us if the canal was not there,” said Peter Kuach Gatchang, the paramount chief of Pajiek. “Our old village of Gorwai has become a river.” When food assistance runs out, she said, they will survive on wild leaves and water lilies from the swamp. “There are no passable roads at this time of the year, and the canal is too low to support boats carrying a lot of food,” said John Kimemia, a WFP airdrop coordinator.