THE Wau-Waria District Development Authority (DDA) has completed comprehensive El Niño drought assessments across all 43 wards, identifying 63,756 people from 14,394 households in need of relief assistance.
The K2.5 million El Niño relief allocation is available but has yet to be drawn down, pending the completion of assessment and reporting requirements to justify the release and ensure proper utilisation of public funds.
Wau-Waria MP and DDA Chairman, Marsh Narewec, clarified that the delay in accessing the funds is not simply a banking issue but also involves meeting accountability requirements to ensure relief payments are based on verified needs.
“The K2.5 million is accessible but not accessed yet due to these assessments. We have to submit an assessment report to justify the release of payments. It’s not a Tucker box where we hand out cash or make payments anyhow,” Narewec said.
The assessment, coordinated by the district’s El Niño Response Committee, covered the three Local Level Governments (LLGs) of Wau Urban, Wau Rural and Waria. It identified severe drinking water shortages, food insecurity, crop losses and associated health risks as major concerns affecting communities across the district.
With the assessment phase completed, the DDA is now finalising its distribution plans and preparing to procure essential relief supplies, including water containers, water filters, food rations, basic medical supplies and bore water installations.
Distribution will be guided by the assessment findings, with priority given to the hardest-hit and most vulnerable communities.
The response committee, comprising LLG managers, programme managers, government officers, business representatives, churches and community representatives, was established to coordinate assessments and ensure relief assistance is delivered fairly and transparently.
Narewec said the district had prioritised identifying the actual needs of affected communities rather than rushing to access and spend the allocation without sufficient supporting evidence.
He acknowledged the contributions of ward councillors, LLG officers, assessment teams and local communities whose cooperation enabled the district-wide assessment to be completed.
The DDA, under the direction of Narewec and Chief Executive Officer John Orebut, is now working towards meeting the remaining requirements for the release and utilisation of the funds. The completed assessment marks a significant step towards delivering much-needed assistance to thousands of drought-affected residents across