Before We Are Caught Off Guard by Disruptions to the Nile’s Flow… Where Is Our Water Policy?

Adel Al-Rifai Aboulhassan
When we speak about Sudan’s electricity crisis, the issue is not merely one of power outages. Rather, it highlights the importance of having a strategic vision for managing and sustaining the country’s vital resources. Today, another equally important question arises: before we are taken by surprise by any disruption to the flow of the Nile, where is our national water policy?
The Nile is far more than a source of water; it is Sudan’s lifeline. Agriculture, energy, development, and the stability of human, animal, plant, and environmental life all depend upon it. The management of such an invaluable resource cannot be based on reactive measures. It requires a scientific vision and a clear policy founded on knowledge and continuous planning.
Sudan once had an important experience in this field through the Dams Implementation Unit, particularly with the Merowe Dam Project. This was not simply the construction of a hydroelectric dam; it formed part of a broader national vision—a vision born of political will, transformed into a strategy, and ultimately realised by individuals who worked with determination and perseverance to turn it into reality.
The Dams Implementation Unit approached water as a strategic issue concerning Sudan’s future, rather than as a limited engineering project. On this basis, it developed an integrated national water policy designed to establish a scientific framework for managing water resources while linking them to agricultural development, electricity generation, and sustainable development.
One of the most significant achievements associated with this initiative was the establishment of Sudan’s first specialised Hydrological Studies Centre, intended to serve as a scientific foundation for collecting data, analysing information, and supporting informed decision-making. The Unit also led extensive efforts to study the Nile comprehensively, undertaking aerial photography, hydrographic surveys, seismic surveys, and the hydrological and technical studies required for long-term planning.
These studies significantly enhanced understanding of the Nile and its resources, identifying potential dam locations, estimating the generating capacity of each site, determining storage capacities, mapping water catchments, and calculating reservoir surface areas. Such work was far more than routine technical activity; it represented rigorous scientific research and strategic planning essential to managing a resource as important as the River Nile.
The achievements of the Dams Implementation Unit demonstrate what can be accomplished when a clear national vision is supported by political determination. Sudanese engineers and experts invested enormous effort in building a knowledge base capable of serving the country’s future. This expertise and the accompanying studies constitute a national asset that should not remain confined to archives. They should instead be reviewed, updated, and utilised.
A water policy is not merely a document; it is the roadmap for managing Sudan’s most important natural resource. It defines water quantities, seasonal flow patterns, patterns of use, and the requirements of different sectors. Just as a government needs accurate population data to determine the demand for schools, hospitals, and public services, it also requires precise knowledge of its water resources in order to plan effectively for agriculture, energy production, and national development.
A comprehensive water policy also equips Sudan to respond to a wide range of future scenarios, whether involving changes in the Nile’s flow, variations in flood seasons, or other emerging challenges. Such a policy ensures the optimal utilisation of water resources while safeguarding Sudan’s rights and national interests.
Today, while public attention is understandably focused on the electricity crisis and recurring power cuts, another question deserves equal consideration: why is water policy not receiving the same level of attention? Electricity depends on water. Agriculture depends on water. Indeed, Sudan’s future depends upon this extraordinary resource.
The question, therefore, is not whether a water policy exists. The real question is: where is it? Why has it not been implemented and established as the principal reference for managing Sudan’s water resources?
Strategic institutions should neither be built around individuals nor tied to particular office-holders. They belong to the state, its citizens, and future generations. Consequently, such institutions and policies must remain above short-term political calculations. Individuals come and go, but the state endures, and whatever serves the national interest should be preserved and continually developed.
The hardship of war has revealed, more clearly than ever before, the importance of setting priorities and returning to strategic thinking. The coming phase requires a state capable of distinguishing between what is strategic and what is merely political, and of recognising which institutions and policies must remain above changing circumstances and shifting political realities.
This is both a historic trust and a national responsibility resting upon today’s decision-makers. They will be held accountable by the Sudanese people, by Sudan itself, and ultimately by future generations.
Before we are caught off guard by disruptions to the flow of the Nile, we must ask one fundamental question:
Where is our national water policy?

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