The Arba’at Dam, located about 38 km (24 miles) northwest of Port Sudan, collapsed on Sunday, damaging roads, power and telecommunications networks, making it difficult to assess the situation, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.
Authorities estimate that about 50,000 people living west of the dam have been severely affected, while the impact on the east bank is still being assessed.
Provincial and federal government teams are working to clear roads and conduct search and rescue operations.
“The government mission reported that approximately 70 villages around the Arba’at Dam were believed to have been affected by flash floods, of which 20 were destroyed,” OCHA said.
As of Monday, at least 30 deaths had been confirmed, but The actual casualty figure is feared to be much higher..
Severe damage to infrastructure has also been reported, including 84 wells and 70 schools were completely or partially destroyed. More than 10,000 livestock were also missing.
Evaluation in progress
The Arba’at Dam is the main source of fresh water for the key city of Port Sudan, which handles much of the country’s international trade and has been at the centre of humanitarian operations since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), erupted last April.
An OCHA-led inter-agency team has been deployed to the affected areas and is coordinating with partners and authorities to support a full assessment.
“A helicopter is urgently needed to support aerial assessments as some areas are impassable by road due to flooding,” OCHA said.
The aircraft will also step up search and rescue efforts, as some residents are believed to have been trapped on the mountain where they fled to safety, while others are still trapped in floodwaters, the report added.
Since the rains started in June, The floods caused devastation. across many parts of Sudan, with the worst affected areas being North and West Darfur and the Nile states.
Devastation on the cusp of suffering
Even before the dam broke, more than 310,000 people had been affected by flooding across the country, adding to the suffering caused by the brutal fighting, now in its seventeenth month.
More than 12 million people have been displaced, both within and across Sudan’s borders.
The war has also devastated livelihoods and destroyed crops, leading to severe food shortages and now famine in many parts of the country.
