The United Nations estimates that 136,000 people have been affected so far – and that this number is likely to rise.
Flooding in Sudan has caused the deaths of scores and destroyed around 14,500 homes. This is because of the seasonal rains that pound the country, causing rivers and floods and destroying property.
The death toll since the rainy season began in May now stands at 77, the spokesman for Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defence, Brigadier General Abdul-Jalil Abdul-Rahim, said on Thursday.
According to a spokesperson, the most affected provinces by the seasonal rains are North Kordofan and Gezira in South Kordofan, South Darfur, South Darfur, and River Nile.
Sudan is often hit with heavy rains in May and October. This causes severe flooding each year that damages property, infrastructure, crops, and destroys lives.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported earlier this week that, according to the government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission, humanitarian organisations, and local authorities, more than 136,000 people have been affected by the floods.
The UN agency stated that flooding will continue to affect more people as assessments are still ongoing and heavy rains were forecast. The UN also said the number of people and localities affected by the seasonal rains as of August 14 had “doubled” compared with the same period last year.
According to the UN, approximately 314,500 people were affected by the whole of the 2021 rainy seasons.
During last year’s rainy season, flooding and heavy downpours killed more than 80 people and swamped tens of thousands of houses across the country.
Authorities declared Sudan a natural catastrophe area in 2020. After the deluge which killed approximately 100 people and inundated over 100,000 homes, a three-month emergency was declared across the country.
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