Water is Life: Making Sense of the Politics of Riverian Dredging in South Sudan

By Dut Kuot Akok, Aweil, South Sudan

Sunday, 26 June 2022 (PW) — If it were not for the fear of unknown gunmen, some competent youth across the boundaries of this resourceful nation would have written multiple books pertaining to the current absolutism generation, whose aim and worry is how to maintain their status quo in the political domain. If it is not the fact that we don’t want to live in exile, some youth and in particular the writer of this view could have authored the title of this piece since our intellect backyard is filled to the fullest with the dirtiest conspiracies against the poor masses of this great nation.

In most of my writing, I used to repetitively say that the current older generation is ready to do anything and everything to remain in power and accumulate whopping financial benefits, even if it freights our pricey land and the basketful of resources beneath it.

Since last week, all media outlets and tea places have been washed by the arrival of dredging equipment from Egypt with the aim of dredging the river Nile and her tributaries. And in many ministerial position papers, including the presidency, there seems to be a lot of trickery and bickering in poorly coordinated witchery. There were shoddy positions within the same government since the devilish agreement was visibly signed underwater cover perhaps by some powerful and pitiless intellectual morons with some wealthiest representatives of the Egyptian government.

In many parallel views, some brothers are in support of the dredging initiative. Their asseveration in support of the process is the suffering and pain our brothers in the lowlands geographical setting are enduring and the Upper Nile region. In South Sudan, the most affected states encompass Unity, Upper Nile, Jonglei, Warrap, and NBG. The flooding in the aforementioned state does always result from a combination of rainwater and the natural overflow of water from the riverbanks.

And with all these natural causes of flooding across the country, dredging of silt from the Nile and Nam riverbanks is not a good alternative to be undertaken stupidly that way. In actual sense, our technical know-who phony couriers within the mammoth government of President Kiir are blinded financially by the Egyptian government to the extent they don’t see nor feel the toxic outcomes of their auctioning.

In a political record dating back to the liberation, the era was the number one enemy of the people of marginalized Sudan. Egypt was a good supplier of SAF military bases with the common objective of defeating people’s struggle to give her a conducive run over the fresh Nile water without any impediments.

And to proceed and elaborate on why dredging of the River Nile and Nam with their tributaries is not a good alternative, let’s have a collective look at other alternatives that are necessary to be undertaken if possible since they don’t have any negative consequences on our lives, hydrology, and ecosystem. It is vital to go deep analytically to have adequate alternatives to controlling flooding in lieu of this deadly political cancer being cunningly brought over by our camouflaged neighbour.

To remind our careless and unfeeling aging generation of sugarcoated leaders, South Sudan is not the first nor the last to experience such flooding, as you might narrowly think so! In many parts of the world that do experience excessive flooding, methods like drainage expansion with detention basins are funded and prioritized by the government to help in reducing over-flooding of the bank of the river, including rainwater. With this method, flooding can be easily controlled if it weren’t for the fact that we currently have zero drainage systems across the country.

Some methods of ensuring flood control include planting vegetation to retain an excess of water; terracing slopes to reduce slope flow, building alluviums; man-made channels to divert water from flooding, and construction of dykes, dams, and reservoirs, or holding tanks to store extra water during flood periods. With well-constructed dykes, dams, and reservoirs, flooding across the affected regions could easily be controlled without the endangerment of our lives, properties, hydrology, and, above all, our resourceful ecosystem.

In many parts of the world, dykes, reservoirs, and dams are the most suitable alternatives for controlling rivers overflowing and not dredging river banks, which possess toxic consequences for our ecosystem and hydrological composition.

And if it is true that, what Egyptians are up for is on the humanistic ground, as they might have brainwashed our semi-leaders, just let them initiate the construction of Fulla dam and other reservoirs across the country using our own resources and they would clearly see the hidden venom behind the Egyptian government. Since dams are the most suitable method used in flood protection, and which eventually reduces the risk of flooding, it is essential to revive the resumption and possible completion of the Fulla dam, and you will see Egypt sailing her diplomatic boat against South Sudan furiously.

From an analytical point of view, Egyptians are for the full flow of our natural fresh water from the river Nile and her tributaries to Egypt in a high volume regardless of what would befall our lives, hydrology, and ecosystem.

With dredging as a suitable alternative to controlling flooding, as it is in the narrow brains of some intellectual morons sugarcoated as leaders, our lives, ecosystems, and hydrological composition is in future jeopardy. We are in serious jeopardy since we have leaders that do lead like they are foreigners, leaders that work like wage workers yelling for one day’s benefit. How safe are our poor lives if we have leaders that give much attention to their pockets, children, and close associates?

Perplexingly, what beats my logic is the fact that the same SPLM, which was founded because of the Jonglei Canal as one of the grievances of the people’s movement, is now in the midway conspiring for full implementation of what she lured over two million precious lives to die for its sake brilliantly.

With all these alternatives, all we need to do is to choose the best alternative for controlling flooding across the country instead of a mad rush towards the crucifixion of current and future generations.

“Water is life.” If the truth does really kill, so be it!

The author, Dut Kuot Akok, can be reached via his email address: dutkuot178@gmail.com

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