Sudan – Floods Affect Over 130,000 Across 12 States, 52 Fatalities Reported

by in Africa, News

The number of fatalities caused by ongoing floods in Sudan has climbed steeply according to an update by Sudan Civil Defence and the United Nations.

Floods in Gezira, Sudan, August 2022. Photo: Sudanese Red Crescent Society

Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defence reported on 13 August that 52 people have now died and another 25 have been injured since the beginning of the rainy season. This is an increase from the 25 fatalities reported last week.

As of 14 August 2022, the estimated number of people affected by heavy rains and floods since May is about 136,000 people. Torrential rains and floods destroyed about 8,900 houses and damaged another 20,600 in 12 states.

The affected states are Central Darfur (38,390 people), South Darfur (28,730), River Nile (15,720), West Darfur (15,500), White Nile (13,920), West Kordofan (5,860), South Kordofan (5,770), North Kordofan (4,410), East Darfur (3,650), Sennar (3,160), Kassala (750) and North Darfur (210). More recently, Sudanese Red Crescent Society reported flooding in southern parts of Gezira (also Al Jazirah) state.

The floods have reportedly affected 238 health facilities, 1,560 water sources and over 1,500 latrines were damaged or washed away. People have lost over 331 head of livestock and over 5,200 feddans (18.9 km2) of agricultural land were affected by floods.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that, compared to the same period last year, the number of affected people and localities in 2022 has doubled.

The Nile River water level started to increase during the last week of July, but it largely remains below the alert level. The Atbara River water level, some 300 km northeast of Khartoum, exceeded the alert level on 6 August due to heavy rain in eastern Sudan and the north-western part of Ethiopia. Compared to the same period last year, the water levels along the five major stations remain below the alert level. Humanitarian organizations are carrying out rapid assessments in affected and accessible areas.

The rainy season in Sudan usually starts in June and lasts up to September, with the peak of rains and flooding observed between August and September. OCHA project that as the situation continues, more than 460,000 people could be affected by flooding across the country in 2022.

Social Media