Sudanese Official Explains to Sudanhorizon Why the Arbaat Dam Collapsed, Potable Water Shortages Expected

Cairo – Sudanhorizon – Sabah Musa

Omar Issa, the water official in Port Sudan, explained that one of the reasons for the collapse of the Arbaat Dam is that the dam was filled with silt, and only a limited part of it remained that was relied upon for drinking, and that it had not been maintained for some time.

Issa said in a special statement to the Sudanhorizon news website that what happened to the dam was due to unprecedented rains and new climate change, and the presence of the dam’s creek extending from distant mountains for a distance of 200 kilometers, which brought unusual amounts of water, in addition to the water that came from the mountains near the dam, adding that all the water entered at the same time with the presence of silt inside the dam, so the water pressured the body of the dam, and the collapse occurred, noting that it is currently not possible to determine whether this collapse is partial or complete, and he attributed this to the difficulty of reaching this area now.

“We will be able to estimate the extent of what happened in the coming days,” Issa added. “We have now used a drone and were able to see a lot, but we could not determine the size, extent, and area of the collapse. He pointed out that there were human losses because most of the villages near the valley were swept away, adding that there were deaths, missing persons, and people cut off. After all, people went up the mountains as a result of the flowing water. Issa suggested that the wells that were relied upon to bring water to Port Sudan collapsed, adding that “what is noticeable from afar is that most of the electricity poles and lines that supply these wells with electricity are not present, which will cause a water crisis in Port Sudan,” explaining that the solution to the problem at present will be to resort to desalination plants with large capacities as an emergency solution to the crisis.