Al- Jili -

In a solemn ritual scene, farmer Alaa Al-Din Al-Nour, from the Sudanese city of Al-Jili, chose to bury the last 7 remaining shrubs on his farm to plant guava seedlings by burning them in the fire, and invest their wood in making small quantities of red bricks, instead of letting them sink in vain in the heart of the Nile , Just like his farm, which included - until just two years ago - 100 fruiting shrubs.

The historic city of Al-Jili (48 km north of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum) is suffering from the growing phenomenon of “damage” or slaughter, which is causing rapid erosion of the eastern bank of the Nile by the current, which has wiped out an area of ​​2 square kilometers of the most fertile land, including the entire Aladdin farm.

Aladdin Al Nour stands in what remains of his farm (Al Jazeera)

The origin of the story

The people say that the slaughter of the lands of the riparian shores of the Nile began to be examined in 2005, but in an unremarkable way, except for the farmers’ audience, before the scene changed completely two years ago, in which the river accelerated the rates of slaughter, swallowing dozens of farms, and threatening - not only the farms - but also The entire important historical and economic city, as it is now approximately 400 meters away from the dwellings that were separated from it by 4 kilometers, according to estimates by the residents.

And when Al-Jazeera Net visited Al-Jili, a few days ago, there was a group of cars loaded with stones, as part of efforts led by a civil committee to combat demolition, and its work is proceeding with the popular effort, as part of a battle that Al-Jili is waging against nature, time, and government neglect.

Al-Jili is one of the largest historical cities, and some archaeological research indicates that its age reaches 7,000 years. Today, it includes the tomb and the sarcophagus of the controversial historical leader Al-Zubayr Pasha Rahma, which is threatened with extinction as it is among the first houses built near the river, when it was built at the time of its construction in 1900. It is 3.5 kilometers from the river, according to most estimates.

The city - located on a national road linking the capital, Khartoum and the export ports in the Red Sea - is one of the capital's largest suppliers of fruits and vegetables, and includes important projects, most notably the Khartoum Petroleum Refinery, the new industrial zone, and a number of important factories for the production of iron and ceramics.

All these economic projects are located far from the Nile, and the ancient historical city, which is under threat of drowning.

The city of Al-Jili is one of the largest historical cities, and some archaeological research indicates that it is up to 7,000 years old (Al-Jazeera)

Explanation of the phenomenon

The expert in the field of water, Engineer Haider Yousef, describes the phenomenon of erosion as a natural phenomenon, resulting from the movement of water currents in rivers, either for personal reasons, or as a result of external encroachments.

He told Al Jazeera Net that rivers change their movement in the event of projects being established on the river, and this usually appears in the formation of the Nile islands or the increase in the area of ​​those already existing, stressing that the treatment of the phenomenon requires only changing the movement of the current with interventions - civil or governmental - that include the establishment of kawasir or paving stones.

He urged the people of Al-Jili to take scientific advice, fearing that their movements would affect other areas in the course of the Nile.

Demolition swallows trees in the city of Al-Jili in Sudan (Al-Jazeera)

In turn, the Rapporteur of the Higher Committee to Combat Destruction, Aqil Ahmed Naem, suggests that the phenomenon of destruction in Al-Jili will be due to human interventions, and it is not excluded that the new Nile bridges - “Halfaya Bridge” and the new water stations “Wishes” - and what he describes as infringements are a major cause of the river slaughter phenomenon. to the shores of the city.

Moreover, the increase in the area of ​​the island opposite the city puts pressure on its eastern bank, doubling the phenomenon of destruction, if not a major reason for it.

Akil confirmed - to Al Jazeera Net - that all interpretations are currently subject to a report prepared by a committee from the Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation, which included the completion of water surveys of the Nile movement (river morphology) at the Al-Jili area, and then entering all the data into a computer simulation program, to choose the most effective solutions.

popular effort

The decision of the committee stresses that the element of time is the decisive factor in their battle against destruction, or their battle for survival.

He told Al Jazeera Net that they are moving with the popular effort, until the government catches up with their efforts, especially since the flood season is at the door, which means that any delay may have dire consequences, disrupting their work, and allowing the river to penetrate further into land.

Bahri locality (affiliated with the Khartoum state government) assigned the committee a small number of mechanisms (9 mechanisms), while the committee and the people today must increase this number through rent, while continuing to provide government machines with fuel and maintenance work, as well as motivating drivers to speed up the pace of work. .

According to Naem, the committee began emergency solutions that include setting up breakers for the current, in an attempt to change its course away from the city's bank.

The idea is to establish embankments in 4 areas with special specifications made of stones, at a depth of 10 meters - at least - inside the river, to be a barrier between the river and the bank.

The committee’s efforts also include building embankments between the spaces separating the quarries, to break the bank itself, meaning converting the bank, which took the form of a right angle due to the movement of the river, to flatten the soil at an acute angle, being paved with stones, in an attempt to protect the quarries and reduce the rates of erosion.

The Supreme Committee to Combat Destruction has begun to develop emergency solutions that include the establishment of current breakers (Al-Jazeera)

expenses

At the time of writing the report, the committee had brought in 50 shipments of stones, at 80,000 Sudanese pounds for each shipment.

The committee’s daily expenses, according to Naem’s estimation, amount to about 1.5 million Sudanese pounds (about $2,500), according to the highest price offered by Sudanese banks at the end of last week’s transactions.

Naem says that the committee moves by popular effort, relying on the donations of the people of the region in Sudan and immigrants, in addition to the decision that each family in the city (about 3,000 families) contributes 50,000 pounds, and on the way there are moves to establish a popular group, during which all official and popular authorities are invited. to clear the city.

Aqeel expressed his surprise at the weak response of the state and oil companies to the people's movements, and said that he expected - at the very least - to declare a state of emergency in favor of Al-Jili's rescue.

He continued, "Apart from the government's move, if the city obtained its share of the social responsibility programs of the companies operating throughout it, we would have succeeded in financing the emergency project at the required speed."

Fateful battle

On the bank of the immortal river, and in the wake of the noise of the mechanisms, Aqil, Aladdin, the committee members and a crowd of people are fighting with limited means the destructive phenomenon that is occurring before their eyes, for fear of losing their historical city, and turning them into displaced people inside their homeland, after they lost within two years their fertile farms, turning into importers For vegetables and fruits after they were the largest exporters to the Khartoum markets.