110 Perish In Devastating Floods In Sudan

At least 110 people have perished since late July, in devastating floods in Sudan caused by unprecedented Nile River water levels, reported some media on September 9, 2020. The floods are also said to have destroyed more than 100, 000 homes. Most areas affected by the floods are in Khartoum, Blue Nile, and River Nile states.

The river’s rising water levels hence the floods are reportedly a result of torrential rains in Ethiopia where the primary tributary of the Nile River namely Blue Nile originates, as well as in Sudan per se. The heavy rainfall is predicted to continue the rest of September.

Whether the devastating floods in Sudan will influence perspectives of the government there in its negotiation with Ethiopia about the gigantic Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile that is now almost completed and partly filled up, is not known. Ethiopia is said to have previously observed, among others, that GERD could help in controlling flooding in the Nile River downstream areas including Sudan.

Probably in acknowledgement of Ethiopia’s observation, a former member of Sudan’s GERD negotiation team has reportedly said the prevailing devastating floods in Sudan could have been avoided if Ethiopia had not began filling up the dam too early, implying that the huge dam could have played an important role in containing the floods if it was completed with full capacity to hold more water.

Elsewhere in Africa, severe floods resulting from torrential rains have also been reported in Senegal with some parts of the capital Dakar submerged, as well as in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.

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