Sudan has declared a state of emergency for three months and designated the nation a natural disaster zone after heavy flooding that killed dozens of people.
Officials have also announced a three-month national state of emergency to help mitigate the impact of the disaster.
So far, about 99 people have been killed by the floods and over 100,000 homes have been washed away in the process.
Lena el-Sheikh, Sudan’s Minister of Labour and Social Development, said 46 people have also sustained various degrees of injury.
“This isn’t the first time the Nile has flooded its banks, but those affected say it’s the worst they’ve ever seen,” reports Al Jazeera.
Flooding of River Nile
The rising water levels of the Nile are what has made the floods worse, forcing at least half a million Sudanese out of their homes.
“The amount of water was unimaginable,” said a resident of Um Dom, Omar Ahmed. “I was at home not expecting the water to reach my house,” Ahmed said. “It reached the house before me, my house, and the homes after me.
“Around my house, more than 40 homes were destroyed by the floods.”
Another resident, Alwaly Abdeljaleel, narrated how the floods swept away his home and destroyed his property.
“People have taken their belongings and left their homes. We have houses that have been partially destroyed and houses that have completely collapsed,” he said.
More rains expected
Meanwhile, authorities have warned that the situation in Sudan could get worse, as more rains are expected in the coming weeks.
Usually the country’s rainy season begins in June and continues through to October, with the torrential rains causing floods.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s Security and Defence Council has reportedly formed a supreme committee to help deal with the ramifications of the floods.
Marwa Taha, a climate change expert, has linked the heavy floods in Sudan to the changing local climate.
“The rains usually come at a certain time and people have been counting on that. They move to areas where the Nile borders the banks,” he said.
“But this year we’ve seen an increase in the amount of rainfall because of climate change and so the Nile has flooded more than before. In addition, a lot of trees have been cut down to make place for residential areas near the Nile, affecting the valleys where the water would flow through,” Taha said.
E A Alanore
* Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online.
#asaaseradio
#TVOL
