Popular Referendum and Science as the Best Arbiters for the Fate of Jonglei Canal, Dredging of the Nile Rivers in South Sudan
By Chol Akoy Ajeth, Samsun, Turkey
Sunday, 17 July 2022 (PW) – As we wander in a continuum between dredging and cleaning, it is unfortunate that some leaders stand with Egypt to press a button of menace. The Sudd, which our freedom fighters safeguarded some four decades ago, continues to face its second wave of disgusting threats of possible annihilation. The similarity between the dredging of the rivers and the resumption of the Jonglei Canal as the best flood mitigation mechanism is less than balanced.
However, for Dr. John Garang De Mabior and other like-minded heroes, the Sudd was under an obligation to be an amazing wellspring source of life for the South Sudanese, their livestock, and wildlife. I have no expertise in water resources management, but you will quite agree with me because I have more than once experienced what it means to have an inadequate amount of or too much water. Our lives are directly attached to water. There is every shade of desire for it. Any attempt to raze our wetlands is the bane of our existence.
The resumption of the Jonglei Canal is just a revisited wishful nightmare that will never come to pass, although it remained veiled in secrecy for many months, if not years. Its intentions are worthless, bogus, morbid, and unsatisfying fantasies whose horrid environmental impacts can only be quickly recognized by anybody endowed with common sense. It is a red flag! Its debate is a distraction from the more critical issues facing the country. Its fate can only be decided through a national referendum. We have seen how people reacted to the consultations. And we can draw that from the projection. It’s not popular!
There is only one common interest for the displaced people of Unity, Upper Nile, and Jonglei states, and possibly a portion of Bhar El Ghazal; that is to return and relive their ancestral homelands. Overlooking their need for rescue from their status quo would likely be something of a paradox. However, there is a disconnect in the shape of the debate. Our leaders see this as a diversion from their hidden interests, which only time and confession can unearth. Everything they bring forward as an argument points to their predicament.
Remarkable here are the contradictions that ensued at the outset. The government signed the contract last year but feared unfurling the information yet more. It was worrying to them when we became quickly united when everything was coming to light. President Kiir had hidden in the shadows until the public outcry grew even bigger and louder.
Worse yet, some members of the executive came out publicly to curse and condemn whoever was opposed to this hideous Egyptian project. Again, they wanted the project started quickly without feasibility studies. This behaviour only undercuts their intentions for these projects as flood mitigation mechanisms. I’m thankful to President Kiir for listening to our voices, but I don’t rush to conclude that he is a saint in this mayhem, either.
In this benighted situation, we need to implement short-term solutions to help our people in Bentiu quickly. The experts gave a varied litany of recommendations, all of which interest the people of South Sudan. As put forward at the public consultations, there is an urgent need to rescue our people displaced by floods but not at the expense of the Sudd wetlands or our waters. This is partly—if not entirely—achievable by temporarily evacuating the people and their livestock to safe higher grounds within the state while the government embarks on long-term solutions such as the building of dams, artificial lakes, etc.
Since all we want is to protect our land and, at the same time, our lives, it is advisable for the government to assign our own patriotic citizens to operate any machine entrusted with our waters. I believe this would adequately clean our waterways for flood mitigation without subsequently harming our environment. The South Sudanese have been flying planes! So, train us how to operate these machines, little else.
Dredging by Egyptians and by South Sudanese means two different things. For Egyptian engineers, it would mean “deepening and widening” our waterways, but for us, it means saving lives. And by the way, why would the Egyptians fund this exercise? If we have been dredging since 2008, why bring in the issue of the Jonglei Canal? Why would everything be confidential this time? We know these leaders are fighting on behalf of Egypt.
Public interest and experts’ recommendations must be obeyed. The sole fountainhead of all this confusion is Egypt because it believes our leadership is a novice at decision-making and has bugs that a strong system would avoid.
The author, Chol Akoy Ajeth, is a concerned citizen who can be reached via his email: cholakoyajeth@gmail.com.
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