Koda River (South Sudan)
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The Koda River,[1] locally called Khor Koda,[2] is a seasonal tributary of the White Nile in the state of Jubek, South Sudan.[3]
Course
The river begins approximately at 4.687°N 31.063°E, south of the Miri Hills, approximately 7 km north of the village of Mussikidolk and 60 km west of the state capital Juba.[2] It runs mostly in the northeast direction, being joined by major tributaries from the same general source region at 4.7554°N 31.1012°E and 4.8564°N 31.1769°E.[2] Near 5.080°N 31.312°E it changes to an eastward general direction. After about 32 km (beeline; near 5.047°N 31.604°E, about 20 km due north of Juba, and 6 km northwest of Luala) it makes a broad curve 6 km south and southeast of Mount Lado, an isolated hill with peak at 1006 m altitude, that dominates the landscape of the area.[4]
From there it flows northeast for about 14 km, almost parallel to the White Nile, until a point 0.5 southwest of the village of Lado Koda (5.139°N 31.709°E). There the course bends sharply to the southwest for another 2.5 km, ending on the White Nile, about 35 km downstream (north) of Juba 5.1302°N 31.7286°E.[5][6] The annual flow has been estimated at 60 million m3.[7]
For the last 18 km, the river is flanked by a strip of floodplains about 0.5 km wide,[5] with a total area of 3159 ha, including the riverbed. Along that valley, the altitude drops from 470 m (at 5.047°N 31.604°E) to 435 m.[8]
The river flows near the villages of Wulikare, Logogvi, Ludo Kenyi, Luala, and Lado Koda. Wulikare is located 0.5 km south of the river and 29 km northwest of Juba.[6][8][5]
History and demographics
The area near the White Nile is the historic homeland of Bari-speaking people.[9]
The Nyangwara tribe in the Miri Hills, Mongalla province believed that Lotome, the first remembered ancestor of the Gwokorongo chiefs, lived at Dogeleng near the Koda River around 1800.[9]
As of 2018, the South Sudan war was still affecting in the area.[10]
Economics
As of 2012, only about 10% of the area in the flood valley was cultivated, mostly for maize, sorghum, cassava and millet.[8]
As in most of South Sudan, the local population among the poorest in the planet. The area has been of interest to international relief agencies that produced plans for possible irrigation projects[7][8] or actually created and managed such installations and model farms.[10] For example, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) offered a study of the construction of three dams—including one on the Koda river, a couple km west of Wulikare—to collect and store water for irrigation in the region of Jalang.[7]
Flora and fauna
Much of the area has natural vegetation consisting of grasses, bushes, and sparse trees.[7]
See also
- Luri River, South Sudan
- Lori River, South Sudan