UN OCHA: More than 6,000 people affected by heavy rains in Sudan

Torrential rains led to the flooding of a number of villages in eastern Sudan’s Kassala on Sunday. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan, about 6,250 people have been affected by heavy rains and flooding in Kassala, White Nile state, and South Kordofan since the beginning of the rainy season in June.

The governor of Kassala, Khojali Hamad, the following day visited the affected villages west and south of Kassala town. Engineers started working on the water flows in the areas.

On Tuesday, the Kassala High Committee for Rainy Season Emergencies, chaired by Col Osman El Sir, and which included Adel Awad, Director of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, and representatives of the National Intelligence Service (GIS) and the Media Committee, toured the affected areas, and see to it that the bridges and roads would be passable again.

The committee also distributed a number of mobile telephones to the affected villagers.

Other needs

UN OCHA reported on Wednesday that emergency shelter, non-food relief supplies, and food assistance are the priority needs of the affected families in Kassala.

“The area Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) convened on 13 July 2022 and agreed with sectors to conduct registration, verification of affected people, and the provision of emergency response,” the UN agency stated.

About 6,250 people have been affected by heavy rains and flooding in Kassala, White Nile state, and South Kordofan since the beginning of the rainy season in June.

In 2021, about 314,500 people were affected by rains and flooding across Sudan, including 11,220 people in Kassala.

The rainy season usually lasts up to September, with the peak of rains and flooding usually observed in August-September.

Preparations

Authorities in Wad Madani, capital of El Gezira, south of Khartoum, are making preparations to be ready for emergency interventions during the rainy season.

During his inspection of the various state departments of the state, (Roads and Bridges, Water, Electricity, and Civil Defence) on Tuesday, Engineer Abubakr Abdallah emphasised “the importance of rapid response to complaints from people, institutions and public utilities, and the continuation of work throughout the day”.

The El Gezira Rainy Season Emergency Secretariat is working on the repair of irrigation engines and water networks. It reported water pools and the partial collapse of some houses in the state, but no casualties after heavy rainfall last weekend.