March 18, (THEWILL)- South Sudan has ordered an indefinite closure of all schools as heatwaves continue to ravage the country over the past few days with very high temperatures the during day and night.
Health Minister, Yolanda Awel Deng, said most parts of South Sudan are experiencing a heatwave expected to last at least two weeks with temperatures ranging between 41 degrees and 45 degrees Celsius.
“The government has decided to take the following measures: One, close down all schools with effect from March 18. Two, during the closure of the schools, parents are advised to stop their children from playing outdoors for prolonged periods and they should also monitor children, especially the young ones, for signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke,” Awel told newsmen in Juba.
She said heatwaves can acutely impact large populations for short periods, often trigger public health emergencies, and result in excess mortality and cascading socioeconomic impacts like loss of work capacity and labour productivity and can also cause loss of health service delivery capacity, where power shortages, which often accompany heatwaves, disrupt health facilities.
Meanwhile, as cases of death related to excessive heat are being reported in South Sudan, Awel said the health ministry’s disease surveillance department has put a system in place to detect and respond to the situation.
Joseph Africano Bartel, undersecretary for Environment in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said climate change is becoming a global phenomenon in which South Sudan will be experiencing a lot of temperature fluctuations.
He advised schools to ensure good ventilation, install solar panels to power fans, and plant trees in compounds to produce microclimate.
Africano called on developed countries to cut emissions, warning South Sudan will experience the unusual impact of climate change soon, including heavy rains, floods, and droughts.
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