Sudan denounces the lack of cooperation of its Ethiopian neighbor who refuses to commit to sharing technical information concerning the management of its dam on the Blue Nile. In Sudan, those ...

Sudan: the lack of information on the potential consequences of GERD deplored [2/3]

Audio 02:27

Farmers from La Gezira stand near an irrigation canal.

The water comes directly from the Blue Nile by gravity.

No pumping system is used.

The maintenance of the canals is today a major stake in relaunching the project.

By: Eliott Brachet

6 mins

Sudan denounces the lack of cooperation of its Ethiopian neighbor who refuses to commit to sharing technical information concerning the management of its dam on the Blue Nile.

In Sudan, those who derive their income directly from the river oscillate between fear and confidence, but above all denounce the total lack of information about the potential consequences of the construction of the dam.

Publicity

From our special correspondent in the Blue Nile,

On the banks of the Blue Nile, about twenty workers mix mud with manure.

They make little bricks that they let dry in the sun, stacked like dominoes.

This is called here, the “toub”, the main building material in the region.

For his activity, Abdallah Adam, totally depends on the floods of the Nile.

“

When the Nile overflows, it comes to fill the holes you see here.
In the dry season, the silt is collected and used in the workshops.
The Renaissance dam affects us.
By retaining water, it retains sediment.
The water that arrives here is clear, it is less loaded with sediment,

”he explains.

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This brick producer denounces the total lack of information from the government on the potential consequences of the dam.

“

We have no guarantees.
No information other than what we watch on social media or on TV.
Everything happens at the top, at the political level, we, the people below, are not told anything.
There are thousands of people working here with their hands.
I have four workshops.
Of course I am worried.
These banks of the Nile, our entire economy depends on it,

”says Abdallah Adam.

Short and long term effects

Below, a fisherman hauls his nets on dry land. Abubakar Issa has already noted some transformations. “At

the moment, the effects are not huge, but there is a risk. As they are going to fill the dam in Ethiopia, the Sudanese here are holding water in the reservoirs. There is less water flowing. I noticed that the rocks at the bottom of the water are buried, covered with sand. It's not good for the fish. And when they open the valves again, the water will come in too quickly. It won't be good for the job.

At the fish market, another fisherman, Ishaq Mohammed, disagrees.

“

There are plenty of fish stalls here, for all tastes.
Maybe the dam will have an effect, I don't know, we the citizens have not been told anything

”.

It is difficult to predict exactly what long-term effects the Renaissance Dam will have on the inhabitants of the Nile.

One thing is certain, little awareness has been done by the authorities.

The Nile nevertheless represents the backbone of the country, more than 20 million Sudanese depend on it.

Africa - Sudan report: the lack of information on the potential consequences of GERD deplored [2/3]

Sudan: the lack of information on the potential consequences of GERD deplored [2/3]

Short and long term effects

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