Nairobi (AFP) - The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicated on Tuesday that the death toll affected by the floods in South Sudan amounted to about 909 thousand people, twice more than the estimates published last month, in the midst of the rainy season.

The young country is suffering under the weight of four flood seasons, in a disaster affecting nine of the country's ten states, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs "OCHA".

A statement by the office indicated, "Reports indicate that the floods have led to the death of livestock and crop damage, washing away roads and bridges, destroying homes, schools and health facilities, and submerging wells and sewage, which has led to the pollution of water resources and the risk of an outbreak of water-borne diseases."

The oil-rich Unity state is one of the areas most affected by the floods, and rising water levels damaged dams in two areas on Sunday, threatening to flood camps for the displaced and a base for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

The office indicated that "efforts are being made around the clock to repair where needed and to monitor any weaknesses in anticipation of further damage."

In the state of Bahr El Ghazal in the west of the country, heavy rains caused the collapse of a major bridge, which prevented the necessary aid from reaching the communities, exacerbating their suffering. OCHA has stopped.

Previous estimates of the UN agency indicated that about 386,000 people were affected by the floods in seven states.

According to figures published by the World Bank in 2018, 80 percent of South Sudan's 11 million people live in "extreme poverty," and two-thirds of the people are threatened by famine.

Since independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan, one of the poorest countries in the world despite its large oil reserves, has witnessed civil war, natural disasters, hunger, ethnic violence and political conflicts.

A peace agreement was signed in 2018 based on the principle of power-sharing within a national unity government that was formed in February 2020 with Kiir as its president and Machar as his deputy, but no significant progress was made in terms of implementing its provisions.

The United Nations and the international community regularly accuse South Sudanese leaders of maintaining the status quo, stoking violence, suppressing political freedoms and embezzling public funds.