Food & Climate
The repair of the Sudanese Arbaat Dam has begun, and it has been supplied with the necessary water pumps for agriculture to carry out the dam’s work until the repair process is completed. At the same time, the Shata Dam is being repaired, which poses a threat to 3 surrounding villages in the Red Sea State, according to the Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa Region of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Dr. Abdulhakim Elwaer, in exclusive statements to the “Food & Climate” platform.
Parts of the Shata Dam cracked due to unusually heavy rains in the surrounding area, according to Elwaer.
Sudan was exposed last year to the disaster of the collapse of the Arbaat Dam, which led to the death of dozens of people, the destruction of thousands of acres of agricultural land, and the threat to the main source of drinking water and agriculture in the region.
The Shata Dam is located in Sudan in the Red Sea State; northeast of the country, but it is smaller in size than the Arbaat Dam, Elwaer added.
Elwaer said: “I visited the dam and saw the cracks in Shata, and this happened because of the heavy rains that hit the Shata area, which is one of the areas that usually do not receive rain, and they are afraid of the winter rains that may destroy the dam, and 3 villages inhabited by people around it, on large areas and a very large number of people living in the course of the dam.”
Water lifting pumps in Arbaat Dam
The FAO is contributing to providing water lifting pumps in the collapsed Arbaat Dam to replace the dam, until it is restored.
The regional director of the organization, Dr. Abdulhakim Elwaer, said in special statements to the “Food & Climate” platform: “Arbaat Dam can be repaired and restored, and this is happening now, as the organization participated in providing water pumps to pump the water needed for agriculture into the waterways, while major financial institutions are financing the restoration work.”
The Sudanese Arbaat Dam was the main source of fresh water for the city of Port Sudan, which became the acting capital of Sudan; After fighting broke out in Khartoum between government forces and the Rapid Support Forces during the civil war that has been ongoing for more than two years, it was also part of the infrastructure for managing floodwaters in the conflict-ridden country, but the last maintenance work on the dam was carried out in 2017.
The Sudanese Arbaat Dam has faced a number of challenges since before the civil war; despite its great importance.
The most prominent of which is the accumulation of sediments, which has reduced the storage capacity and negatively affected the effectiveness of the dam in collecting and storing water.
A study by the World Bank had warned of the accumulation of sediments in the Sudanese Arbaat Dam in 2018.
The World Bank report – at the time – issued under the title “Managing Critical Water Supply Resources Near Port Sudan, Sudan: Arbaat Dam and Well Fields in Arbaat” said: “The reservoir dam along the Khor Arbaat is threatened by siltation and reduced flow, and wells near Arbaat are failing.”
Therefore, the World Bank allowed Hydro Nova, under a contract dated March 30, 2018, to proceed with the preparation of a water resources management study for the Arbaat well fields and the Arbaat Dam in Port Sudan, Sudan, but despite the disastrous results, the authorities did not fix any of them.
The Arbaat Dam also suffered from a lack of maintenance due to financial or logistical problems. Climate change and changing rainfall patterns played a role in weakening the dam and leading to its collapse.
Conflict more dangerous than floods
The Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa Region of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Dr. Abdulhakim Elwaer, warned of the impact of the conflict in Sudan on food security rates.
Elwaer said: “The conflict is more dangerous than the floods for food security in Sudan. The floods were an obstacle that delayed efforts to reach areas in need of assistance from the organization, but even the areas that we were able to reach through the flood zone; we were unable to enter them due to the conflict.”
He pointed out the organization’s interest in Sudan, saying: “We care about Sudan and I was visiting there recently, and we call for reaching a peaceful agreement to stop the conflict so that things can stabilize in Sudan, especially in the western region, which is completely isolated due to floods and conflict.”
He continued: “It is necessary for Sudan and the neighboring countries with an interest to find a solution and quickly, because the problem is becoming more complicated with time and the solution is becoming difficult. The effects in Sudan are very large, as food insecurity is increasing.”
He explained that the organization made a great effort to save the rainy season in 2024 by distributing seeds to 1.2 million farmers. Elwaer expected the next summer crop in Sudan to decrease, and said: “In the summer season, we will not reach 60% of what we planted last year in Sudan.”