Sudan rainy season: Volume of Blue Nile flow is increasing

The volume of water flow of the Blue Nile at El Deim station on the Sudanese Ethiopian border increased to 452 million cubic metres, the Nile Water Department of the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources reported yesterday.

The Nile Water Department said in a press statement that the mean water flow of the Blue Nile registered 400 million cubic metres, while that of the Atbara River stood at 200 million cubic metres.

Until July 24, the volume of Blue Nile waters remained much less than average because of the storage of water at the basin of the new Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) near the eastern Sudan-Ethiopian border.

The recent rise in the water level of the Blue Nile and its tributaries of El Rahad and Dinder coincided with local torrential rains in eastern Sudan, the statement said.

The Nile Water Department expects all Nile rivers to witness an average increase of 35 centimetres.

Ten days ago, the General Directorate of Dams at Sudan’s Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources already called on the people living on both banks of the Blue Nile to take safety precautions, following heavy rainfall on the Ethiopian plateau.

Flooding

On Saturday, heavy rainfall and flooding were reported in Reefi Shimal Ed Delta in eastern Sudan’s Kassala state.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan reported yesterday in its Floods Flash Update that the Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and OCHA are on the ground to assess the impact of the floods on the estimated 134,700 people living in the locality.

The northern part of White Nile state was reportedly hit by flooding on Sunday. No reports of damage to homes or infrastructure were received, OCHA stated. This is the second flooding reported in Um Remta in one week. On 21 July, a flash flood affected an unknown number of households and cut off the El Obeid road connecting White Nile state with North Kordofan.

In northern Sudan, flash floods affected over 43 houses in El Matama locality, River Nile state on 22 July.

Also South Darfur has been hit by heavy rains. Between 20 and 24 July 2021, flash floods hit four camps for displaced people in Nyala locality, No deaths or injuries have been reported so far, but more than 1,630 shelters have been destroyed or damaged. In Kalma camp, where more than 128,000 displaced people live, water sources have been affected and eight out of the 17 schools have been damaged.

Many household latrines have been damaged or destroyed as well. This situation may lead to high risks of water contamination and subsequent disease outbreaks, OCHA warns.