Floods threaten 15,000 Sudanese as attempts to save White Nile dam fail

Attempts to shore-up Al Aawar dam that sustained cracks and a partial failure after floods in Sudan’s White Nile state on Monday have failed. Al Aawar has now almost completely collapsed, threatening the homes of some 15,000 people in its wake.

As reported by Radio Dabanga on Monday, El Aawar dam in Tendelti sustained damage as a result of the flood of Khor Abu Habil, a seasonal water channel, that accelerated the flow of water and the rise in the water level more than previous years.

Yesterday the state's Ministry of Urban Planning instructed to speed-up the repair of cracks and the development of necessary precautionary measures, in an attempt not expose the dam to the risk of fully collapsing and drowning Tendelti town.

Reports reaching Radio Dabanga now state that this has failed.

Sudan’s dam implementation unit announced the suspension of the construction of dams until it is assured of the readiness of the states and its own equipment for operation and periodic maintenance.

Investigation

The independent MP of Tendelti constituency, Ahmed Sabahelkheir, told Radio Dabanga that attempts to close the partial crack have failed since Tuesday morning. “The collapse is now almost complete and the water of Khor Abuhabil will flood a number of villages.

“About 15,000 people will become homeless during the coming hours,” he predicted.

Sabahelkheir called for an urgent investigation to be conducted into the collapse of the Tendelti dam, which was built in 2013 to protect Tindelti from flooding.

Rains

Heavy downpours followed by flash floods have wreaked havoc across Sudan over the past week. Camps for the displaced have been hit exceptionally hard.