Sudan: Weekly Floods Round-up, No. 06 (12 September 2022)

Torrential rains and flash floods continue to wreak havoc and disrupt the lives of thousands of people across Sudan. As of 12 September, about 286,400 people have been affected, according to the Government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), humanitarian organizations on the ground and local authorities. The rains and floods have destroyed at least 16,900 homes and damaged another 43,800 in 16 of the 18 states. The National Council for Civil Defence reported that 118 people died and more than 118 people were injured since the beginning of the rainy season in June.

The most affected states are Gedaref (58,935 people), Central Darfur (41,747), White Nile (34,357), South Darfur (30,677) and Kassala (25,890). The other affected states are Northern (18,046), River Nile (16,572), West Darfur (15,504), North Kordofan (13,185), Aj Jazirah (8,715), West Kordofan (6,030), South Kordofan (5,765), Sennar (5,379), and East Darfur (3,650), with more limited impact in Khartoum (1,296), and North Darfur (686).

People have lost over 2,150 heads of livestock, and over 12,100 feddans (about 5,100 hectares) of agricultural land have been affected by floods, which will exacerbate the already worrying levels of food insecurity people across the country are facing.

According to the 2022 Sudan Emergency Response Plan (ERP), more than 460,000 people across the country could be affected by floods in 2022. In 2021, about 314,500 people were affected across Sudan, while between 2017 and 2021 on average 388,600 people were affected annually.

According to the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) forecast for 6 - 13 September 2022, moderate rainfall (50-200mm) is expected over the southern part of Sudan, and light rainfall (less than 50 mm) is expected over central areas of Sudan.

Meanwhile, on 12 September, the water level at Ed Deim water station (about 550km southeast of Khartoum) was recorded at 12.52 metres, exceeding the flooding risk level. In Khartoum, the water level of the Nile River was recorded at 16 metres (critical level). In contrast at Shandi station, the water level was recorded at 16.75 metres, below the critical level. At Atbara water station, the water level was recorded at 15.7 meters, slightly below the flooding risk level. Compared to the previous week, the Nile water level is slightly descending from flooding to critical levels.

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. For more information on floods and updated figures of people affected and areas, as well as rainfall forecast and water levels at water stations on the Nile River please see the 2022 Floods Dashboard.