Feature: South Sudan conflict disrupts life in major fishing town

Terekeka, a town known for its big fishing community some 45 miles from South Sudan's capital Juba, has barely suffered directly from more than two years of civil war, yet it has been counting the cost of fighting.

When Xinhua talked to a group of fishermen on a hot Saturday afternoon at Kijit Na Yere land site a stone throw away from the remote town, they said fishing, a booming business prior to the outbreak of war in 2013, is now struggling.

"It was good at the beginning when there was no conflict. By then there was a lot of fish, selling was good and the money had not yet been devalued," said fisherman Charles Duku.

He said in the aftermath of the conflict, fishing gear like nets and canoes have become very expensive, increasing from less than less than 20 U.S. dollars to more than 110 dollars due to devaluation of the South Sudanese Pound (SSP).

"Now we are using hooks for fishing which bring low fish harvest. The market is also not good and we are losing a lot in terms of transporting the fish to Juba and other towns," he added.

Another fisherman Lino Gorde told Xinhua high prices forced them to stick to old, worn-out fishing nets and they also lacked refrigerators to preserve fish.

"Refrigerators are perfect, but we can not afford them so we rely on smoking of fish to preserve them," Gorde told Xinhua as he pointed at five fish smoking points made out of bricks with wire mesh.

Most of the fish consumed in major towns in South Sudan was brought from Terekeka, yet conflicts have kept away buyers from other regions.

Moreover, the economic hardship has brought down families' incomes with annual inflation peaking at more than 663.1 percent, further shrinking the market.

Gorde said he was also concerned with the reality of climate change affecting the water table at the landing site located on the banks of the river Nile, dwindling fish harvest.

"The water table has shrunk and fish has migrated to streams and also some have gone deeper which makes it hard to harvest," he said.

The road linking Terekeka to Juba is in bad shape without tarmac and it takes almost three hours to navigate the wide potholes on the road, said Mathew Laku, another fisherman.

He also said the high taxes levied on their business had led to high fish prices in the nearby local markets, making fish unaffordable to poor families in Terekeka and its neighboring towns.

According to UN Development Programme (UNDP) Senior Program Adviser Biplove Choudhary, the worsened drought situation in the country has caused some perennial streams to become seasonal, while urban human activities like waste dumping and construction along river banks have contributed to clogging of rivers and streams.

Choudhary said this had impacted both the quantity and quality of water which in turn affected the distribution and quantities of fish in these streams and rivers.

"Fish prices in the urban markets are becoming exorbitant and unaffordable to the majority of South Sudanese who cherish fish as source of proteins and other nutrients. Indeed, it has become luxury to eat fish and fish products for many families in South Sudan," he said. Endit