JUBA, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) on Friday signed an agreement to procure essential flood mitigation supplies for counties hit by flooding as the number of flood-affected people increased to 893,000.

The 299,000-U.S.-dollar deal, signed by the South Sudanese Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, will scale up flood mitigation supplies for the counties of Bor and Fangak in Jonglei State and Pibor in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.

"We urge UNOPS to expedite action to address the flooding that has already devastated farms and to address this current scenario that is affecting our people and adding to the hardship that most of our people are facing," Peter Malual Dhieu Akat, undersecretary for the ministry, said after signing the deal in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

The agreement, which runs until February 2025, is part of the World Bank-financed Regional Climate Resilience Program for Eastern and Southern Africa Project. UNOPS will oversee the procurement and timely delivery of flood mitigation supplies in close coordination with the ministry and local authorities.

Leslie Mhara, program coordinator at UNOPS in South Sudan, said the contract is a critical milestone in their consistent partnership with the government of South Sudan, particularly the ministry.

Mhara said the project will see the government leading in flood mitigation, adding that UNOPS is committed to facilitating quality and sustainable procurement and infrastructure investment to mitigate the effect of climate change.

The deal came after the humanitarian access in South Sudan worsened due to ongoing flooding and intensified rainfall, which has since displaced 241,000 people in 16 counties and the Abyei Administrative Area, according to the UN. Enditem

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