Khartoum — PERSISTENT floods have left over 300 people dead and some 119 000 displaced in the war-torn South Sudan. The deaths are linked to subsequent water-borne diseases such as cholera. Heavy rainfall in 11 administrative regions of Aweil North and Aweil West of former Northern Bahr el Ghazal State triggered the flooding. Eight villages in the Upper Nile State are also affected. The floods have destroyed roads, schools, homes and crops. It is feared the situation will worsen in the coming days with more people needing temporary housing and urgent humanitarian help. The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the Ministry of Health and partners, are scaling up the emergency response in the flood-affected areas. "We have to act very fast to avoid the spread of water-borne diseases and the transmission of vector-borne diseases such as malaria," said WHO Health Security and Emergency Officer, Allan Mpairwe. The organisation's representative in South Sudan, Evans Liyosi, said building the capacity of partners, increasing human resource and medical supplies were vital in such acute emergencies. South Sudan, the world's newest country after attaining independence in 2011, is also suffering a civil war sparked by a fallout between its founding leaders. Some 300 000 civilians have been killed and 2 million others displaced.