Sudan Issues Flood Alert as Nile Water Levels Rise to Dangerous Heights
Ashwini Gambo
Khartoum: Sudanese authorities have issued a nationwide flood alert after water levels in the Nile River and its tributaries rose significantly, threatening communities in at least six of the country’s 18 states, including the capital Khartoum. The warning comes amid heightened concerns over seasonal flooding and the long-standing regional tensions surrounding Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
According to Sudan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, the highest risk areas include Blue Nile, Sennar, Al Jazeera, White Nile, and Nile River states. The ministry urged residents to take all necessary precautions to protect their lives and property as rainfall continues to increase in parts of Sudan and the Ethiopian highlands, where the Blue Nile originates.
Sudan frequently experiences destructive flooding in August and September, a seasonal pattern that has caused extensive damage in recent years killing dozens, destroying homes and infrastructure, and affecting electricity production from hydroelectric dams along the Nile. With water levels now surging, fears are mounting that similar devastation could occur again this year.
The announcement has rekindled regional tensions over Ethiopia’s management of the GERD, a controversial project that both Sudan and Egypt have warned could disrupt downstream water flows. While Sudan has consistently called for transparent operational data to manage its own flood response and dam safety, Egypt considers the dam an existential threat, warning that any disruption to its share of the Nile waters could cripple agriculture and endanger national stability.
The Blue and White Niles converge in Khartoum before flowing north into Egypt, making cooperation between the three Nile Basin nations critical. Egypt, one of the world’s most water-scarce countries, relies on the Nile for over 90% of its freshwater needs.
As rainfall continues across the region and dam operations remain a point of contention, the coming weeks will be critical in determining both the humanitarian impact and the diplomatic fallout from rising waters in the Nile Basin.
