Impact of floods on socio-economic livelihoods: A cross-sectional case study of Aweil South County, South Sudan.

Abstract

Background

A flood is typically an overflow of water that submerges land, low-lying cities, and villages, or an exceptional circumstance caused by the current inflow. This study examined the impact of floods on socio-economic livelihoods, a case of Aweil South County, Northern Bahr el-Ghazal state.

 Methodology.

The study adopted a cross-sectional case study design, where both quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed for data collection. The study had discussions with key Stakeholders at payams and Community levels, as well as randomly sampled households. Both qualitative key informant interviews and quantitative household questionnaires were utilized to get the information.

 Results.

Findings revealed that 54.95% of households were male-headed, with most male heads aged 36–59 and female heads aged 18–35. Agriculture was the primary livelihood (33%), followed by livestock production (30%) and trading (14%). Floods severely affected households: 96.87% reported crop damage, 97.65% lost food stocks, 92.43% experienced livestock loss, and 93.75% reported snake bites. Health impacts included disease outbreaks, with 97.92% of households reporting illness, and 96.61% experienced disruption in health service access due to damaged infrastructure. Educational facilities and houses were heavily damaged, forcing 95.57% of households to relocate temporarily. Coping strategies included shifting to higher ground, migration, and resource sharing; 54.43% of households considered these strategies partially effective.

 Conclusion:

Floods in Aweil South significantly compromise household livelihoods, food security, health, and infrastructure, with communities demonstrating limited adaptive capacity due to dependency on crop and livestock production and poor access to alternative resources.

 Recommendations:

Communities should be urged to construct homes made of sturdy materials far from high-risk areas. In order to improve household food security, the Ministry of Agriculture should also urge communities to expand the area under cultivation on higher ground through the Extension Services.