South Sudan experiences frequent and intense floods and droughts. The country is a global hotspot of flood risk, ranking 7th in the world for share of population exposed to riverine floods1. Significant floods in 2019 and 2020 were surpassed by record floods in 2021, which affected between 800,000 to 1.2 million people and displaced more than 300,000 people. The country is also vulnerable to droughts, with severe drought recorded twice since independence in 2011and 2015.
The World Bank Water Global Practice has a portfolio of investments in South Sudan under implementation, focusing on flood management and water resources management. Through the Regional Climate Resilience Project (RCRP) International development Association (IDA) resources has been allocated towards water sector priorities in South Sudan, implemented by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI), to strengthen institutions and information at national and sub-national scales to better manage water resources for climate adaptation and support climate resilient flood risk management.
In this framework, the climate-resilient National Water Resources Master Plan (NWRMP) for South Sudan is taking into account the country’s socio-economic needs, environmental considerations, and freshwater availability and demand for various sectors, such as agriculture, domestic use, industrial applications, and environmental preservation – including their transboundary dimension. The NWRMP development follows a wide consultation process with multiple stakeholders to outline strategies and actions to achieve sustainable water management in South Sudan. It also considers the development of a regulatory framework for integrated watershed management to support flood risk management, the revision of the legal and institutional frameworks (Water policy (2007), WASH Strategic Framework (2011), Draft Water Bill (2015 and draft water vision 2040), and standards/guidelines relating to water resources management, including water resources management infrastructure.