Sudan rains and floods: 52 dead and thousands of houses damaged

The Sudanese authorities said on Sunday, August 14, that about 52 citizens died as a result of floods and torrential rains that hit a number of states in the country.

According to Brigadier General Abdel Jalil Abdel Rahim, spokesman for the police-affiliated National Council for Civil Defense, “52 people have died, and about 25 others have been injured in Sudan as a result of the torrential rains.”

He confirmed that the rains and floods caused the total collapse of 5,345 houses throughout the country, about 2,862 partial collapses, the destruction of 16 public facilities, and 39 shops and warehouses, in addition to the flooding of agricultural lands estimated at an area of ​​540 acres.

A number of Sudan’s states suffer from devastating annual floods, especially during the months of August and September, which cause great loss of life and property, and the authorities have been accused of not taking preventive measures before the start of the rainy season.

In June, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) issued its quarterly report on seasonal forecasts for precipitation and temperature for the period from June to September 2022.

The report provided recommendations to decision makers in IGAD member states, including Sudan, on disaster risk management, agriculture and food security, livestock, water and energy health, early warning of conflict, environment and forests, in addition to an impact summary of the mentioned sectors on their countries.

The report said that the upcoming rainy season (from June to September) would be an important one, in particular in the northern parts of the Horn of Africa, where this period accounts for 70% of the total annual precipitation.

The IGAD report said that rains would fall at their normal time or early in most parts of eastern Sudan, with a delay in their rainfall in western Sudan. It warned that the expected increase in rainfall in Sudan may expose the population to several risks, including sudden floods, outbreaks of diseases such as malaria, and high water levels in rivers leading to flooding.

Fears are growing that the chronic problems afflicting most remote towns and villages will be repeated during the autumn, given indications of heavy rains during the current month.

The three cities of the capital, Khartoum, witnessed heavy rains during the past three days, which caused the collapse of a number of houses, and obstructed traffic on many main roads.

The River Nile state in northern Sudan is the state most affected by the floods, which hit three localities: Berber, Al-Matama, and Al-Damir. It cut off the main road linking the state with the capital and the main port in the east of the country.

The Ministry of Interior announced the dispatch of relief convoys to help thousands of affected people in River Nile state, in addition to the cooperation of the police, the Humanitarian Aid Commission, and the Roads and Bridges Department, to drain the accumulated water.

In turn, the High Council of Beja Nazirs and Independent Chieftains launched a distress call to rescue thousands of people affected by the flooding of the Gash River in the state of Kassala in the east of the country. It explained that the flood caused the collapse of most of the houses, the death of livestock, and the besieging of poor families, who sit in the open land without shelter, food or clothing for nearly a month.

On Sunday, the council called on state institutions, civil society organizations, international organizations and UN agencies to urgently intervene to save the affected people. It called on the authorities to declare the affected areas as disaster areas and urged them to do their duty.