30 people killed as dam collapses in Eastern Sudan
August 27, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – A dam that burst in Eastern Sudan amid heavy rains led to the death of at least 30 people, local authorities said on Monday.
The Arbaat Dam, which lies 40 kilometers north of Port Sudan, suffered severe damage during torrential rains, resulting into the destruction of about 20 villages.
Actual numbers of those killed, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA might be higher. Additionally, it noted, about 70 villages around the dam were affected by the flash flooding.
In areas west of the dam, the flooding either destroyed or damaged the homes of 50,000 people, which is approximately 77% of the total population living there.
Those affected, OCHA cautioned, urgently need food, water and shelter.
More than 80 boreholes collapsed because of the flooding, OCHA said citing local authorities, while 10,000 heads of livestock are missing, and 70 schools have been either damaged or destroyed.
Heavy rain and flooding across Sudan this month impacted more than 317,000 people. Of those impacted, the UN stated, 118,000 people have been displaced, exacerbating one of the world’s biggest displacement crises due to the ongoing war in the country.
But our humanitarian colleagues fear that the number of casualties could be much higher, taking into consideration that many more people are missing or displaced.
Some village residents were reportedly forced to escape to the mountains for safety, while others were evacuated.
Some 50,000 people who are living on the western side of the dam have had their homes destroyed or damaged, and people urgently need water, food, shelter, and assistance. That is, of course, according to the authorities.
The extent of the impact on the eastern banks still needs to be assessed as roads have been cut off. Local rescue teams are attempting to open these roads.
An inter-agency team led by OCHA has been deployed to the impacted areas.
The team, it stressed, is coordinating with partners and the authorities, and will support assessments to further determine the extent of the damage and people’s most urgent humanitarian needs.
The team will also help to coordinate the response, which is being led by the government.
The damage of the dam is expected to have wider consequences, as it is a primary source of fresh water for Port Sudan and will impact water supplies there.
Since the onset of the rains in June, floods have reportedly wreaked havoc across many parts of Sudan, with the most affected states being in North and West Darfur, and the River Nile states.
However, before the dam collapsed on Sunday, more than 310,000 people had been impacted by flooding across the country where, we don’t need to remind you, there is a conflict going on.
(ST)