Dyke collapse floods farms in Sudan’s El Gezira

A dyke protecting a village in El Gezira Aba collapsed and caused the river to submerge about 1,000 acres of farmland on Saturday.

Journalist Tarig Ishag El Doma told Radio Dabanga yesterday that the dyke collapsed near Teiba from the south-eastern side for the second time in a week because of the strong winds.

“Villagers managed to repair it after the first collapse. Now the river threatens all the residential areas of El Gezira Aba with drowning again.”

The river reportedly overflowed about 1,000 acres of the total of 8,000 acres of agricultural land in El Gezira Aba; a significant loss for the farmers. “Many of them have borrowed money to spend on the cultivation for the winter season, and this damage means the exit of a large number of farmers from the agricultural season, as well as accumulation of debts,” said El Doma.

“The current problem is greater than the capacity of the villagers and so the state should intervene and send large machineries to repair the gap in the bridge. Otherwise all the villages of El Gezira Aba may turn into islands because of the flooding.”

A delegation of villagers sought help from the federal authorities, including Minister of Irrigation Tabita Boutros. The minister refused to meet the delegation and directed the administration of dams to resolve the problem. “This has not moved to stop the problem so far.”