JUBA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The World Food Program (WFP) said Tuesday it needs 248 million U.S. dollars to ramp up humanitarian assistance in South Sudan until January 2025 in response to flooding and other disaster risks.

The WFP said 53 million dollars out of the total amount will be allocated for responding to the crisis in Sudan and 60 million dollars will be directed towards flood response efforts.

"High returnee populations, projected flooding, conflict, and disruptions to the economy and food systems contribute to worsening outcomes," the WFP said in its latest report released in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

South Sudan is one of the 18 hunger hotspots globally where food security is deteriorating, according to the early warnings issued by WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on acute food insecurity outlook from June to October.

The WFP said the escalating conflict in the Sudanese states of Sennar, Blue Nile, and West Kordofan could lead to further influxes of refugees and returnees into South Sudan. The potential large influxes to places like Renk could strain the capacity of transit sites due to limited resources and complicate humanitarian response.

The WFP said South Sudan also faces an impending flooding event in the second half of 2024. Record water levels in Lake Victoria have necessitated the Ugandan government to release water from dams, intensifying the flow of the Nile River through South Sudan.

"The impact may be worse than in 2022, with the floods likely to affect up to 3.3 million people," it said.

South Sudan, one of the most climate-vulnerable countries, has suffered from climate change shocks with excessive flooding for four consecutive years that destroyed livelihoods and increased food insecurity.

The WFP said that along with the broader humanitarian community, it is continuing to develop a prioritized response plan in South Sudan, adding it plans to reach 1.2 million flood-affected people with food and nutrition assistance between July and December, which requires 60 million dollars, with potential increases if the situation worsens. Enditem

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