In the heart of Unity State, South Sudan, herders are facing a dire dilemma as they scoop murky water from a small pond surrounded by oil fields. The water is heavily polluted, tainted with chemicals and oil, yet the community has no choice but to drink it to survive. "We know it's bad water, but we don't have anywhere else, we're dying of thirst," says Nyatabah, a local woman raising cows in the heart of the oil-rich region.

The ongoing crisis in Unity State is compounded by a combination of extreme flooding and oil pollution, which experts believe are both exacerbated by climate change. Since 2019, unprecedented rainfall has caused extensive flooding, submerging large swathes of the state. As the water rises, it mixes with oil runoff from poorly managed oil fields, creating toxic water sources that not only affect human health but also harm livestock and the environment.

David Bojo Leju, a former oil engineer, reveals alarming details about the pollution caused by mismanaged oil facilities. Spills from oil wells, leaking pipelines, and untreated "produced water" from oil extraction have contaminated local water supplies. This polluted water is seeping into the environment, flowing into rivers, ponds, and boreholes, where it is consumed by both humans and animals. According to Bojo Leju, the result is a toxic cycle where the contaminated water harms the health of people and livestock, leading to sickness and birth defects. The pollution has caused calves to be born without heads or limbs, and more than 100,000 cattle have died in the last two years, likely due to a combination of flooding and oil contamination.

The situation has sparked concern among health professionals. Dr. Samuel Puot, working in Bentiu's hospital, reports numerous cases of congenital abnormalities, including children born with deformities, which may be linked to the consumption of polluted water. While genetic testing may provide clues, there is no definitive data, as systematic reporting and testing are lacking.

Meanwhile, the government's environmental audit into the impact of the oil industry has been delayed, with results yet to be made public. Local politicians, such as Mary Ayen Majok, have raised concerns about the environmental damage caused by oil production, citing the industry’s legacy of poor practices inherited from the country’s early days post-independence. She believes that oil pollution, along with the floods, is contributing to the rise in birth defects and health problems.

Unity State's plight is a complex and ongoing challenge. The region is grappling with a precarious balance between the economic necessity of oil production and the need for environmental responsibility. As the floods show no sign of receding, experts warn that climate change will continue to make the situation worse. The people of South Sudan remain hopeful, however, clinging to the hope that one day, the water will recede, and they can return to their traditional way of life—raising animals and cultivating the land.

Despite the many hardships, families in Unity State continue to navigate their difficult circumstances, using every means available, from foraging for water lily roots to selling charcoal, as they struggle for survival in a region battling both natural disasters and human-made pollution.