OCHA Situation Report No. 2
Sudan - Floods
16 August 2001


This report is based on information received from the OCHA office in
Sudan.

Situation

1.  Water levels have exceeded all projections since the beginning of the
month.

2.  Sudan is currently facing flash floods (in North/South/West Kordofan;
North/South/West Darfur, Khartoum and White Nile states) and heavy floods
in the river Nile system (Khartoum, Northern, River Nile, Gezira, Blue
Nile, Sennar and Upper Nile).


Blue Nile Floods

3.  Blue Nile River's rising waters remain the main preoccupation as they
are heading toward central Sudan. On Thursday, water level at Wad Medani
(Gezira State) recorded 19.38 metres (2,5 m above the level of 2000),
16,56 metres in Khartoum (1,28 m.), 15,78 metres in Atbara and 15,4 metres
in Dongola. Important damages were reported by media in Gezira state.

4.  So far, no casualties were officially reported and no precise figures
of evacuated people in the Blue Nile basin are available. IFRC reported on
10 August that ten of thousands of people have abandoned their homes.
According to the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), the humanitarian body
of the Government of Sudan, further assessments should take place the
coming weekend.


Flash Floods in Western Sudan

5.  In connection with flash floods in western Sudan, UN agencies, NGOs
and national institutions have carried out an assessment mission to the
area of Kass province (South Darfur State, 80 kms west of Nyala) on 10-12
August in order to identify population needs in the flooded area: Six
villages of the southern Kass region were affected by flash floods,
leaving a total of 1,149 families homeless houses out of 6,402 persons
affected. Problems due to insufficient clean water, poor sanitation and
recurrent lack food affect the area.

6.  Unmet needs: shelter, food aid, medicines, safe drinking water
(purification equipment), sanitation are the needs identified so far by
local authorities in the above-mentioned areas.


No Request for International Assistance

7.  So far, the Government has not appealed for international assistance
as response to the floods is within the Government's capacity.


National and International Response

8.  The Government has already taken steps to respond to the threat of
floods. It has provided 54 sacks of wheat (90 kg) to the western affected
area out of the 450 sacks promised. The highest authority in civil defence
forces has declared a high state of alert. In addition, the Ministry of
Interior has formed a High Council of Civil Defence to follow up on the
situation related to the rising level of the Nile.

9.  The HAC, which co-ordinates efforts to address the flood emergency, is
planning to hold a meeting on Saturday with representatives from UN
agencies and INGOs to set up a task force to carry out needs assessment
missions throughout the affected areas of Sennar and Atbara.

10.  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
is appealing for nearly 1.3 million Swiss francs (approx. USD 750,000) to
support on-going relief work for flood victims (10,000 beneficiaries for
three months) and for contingency measures should the Nile burst its banks
in the capital.

11.  The OCHA Office in Sudan, in cooperation with UNDP, has made
available USD 10,000 to GOAL Ireland for flood mitigation in Kassala.
UNICEF is also ready to provide emergency health kits, water purification
tablets, blankets, soap and cooking pots as soon as assessments are
completed.

12.  OCHA remains in close contact with OCHA / UNDP offices in Sudan and
the Permanent Mission of the Sudan in Geneva and will revert with further
information.

13.  This Situation Report and further information on ongoing emergencies
are also available on the OCHA website at http://www.reliefweb.int


Telephone: +41-22-91712 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers (OCHA Disaster Response Branch):
  Mr. Thierry Delbreuve / Mr. Max Bonnel
  Direct tel: +41-22-917 1638 / 1457

Press contact:
  Ms. M. Moulin-Acedo, direct Tel. +41-22-917 31 60


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