The Mufti stated in a special statement today, Tuesday, that one of the benefits previously marketed by the state to its citizens regarding the Renaissance Dam was that after its completion, Sudan would no longer experience floods. However, now that the dam is complete and after its first test, the opposite has happened. Ethiopia recently released water levels about one and a half meters higher than the 1988 flood. They have acknowledged this and warned citizens, but they suffered significant damage.
The Mufti added that the Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation should publicly apologize to the citizens and open an investigation into the matter to hold accountable those who misjudged or neglected, especially since some of them were awarded significant prizes for negotiating well on the Renaissance Dam. The ministry should ensure or compel Ethiopia to fairly and urgently compensate the affected people.
The Mufti pointed out that Sudanese negotiators lost their water rights despite our written warnings to them dozens of times before the negotiations began in 2011. These are crimes against the nation that should not go unpunished without criminal, civil, and administrative accountability for all involved.
Floods have returned to hit several areas in Sudan over the past three days, causing limited losses so far compared to previous years, which witnessed hundreds of victims and the destruction of tens of thousands of homes and infrastructure. In the south of the capital, Khartoum, water flooded a number of homes in the Kalakla area due to the rising level of the White Nile coming from Lake Victoria.
The recent developments have reignited the debate over the impacts of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which was officially inaugurated on September 9 and is located only 15 kilometers from the Sudanese border. The dam holds about 74 billion cubic meters of Blue Nile water, raising concerns about sudden changes in water levels from July to October.
Despite the dam releasing about 750 million cubic meters of water in recent weeks, experts believe that the lack of coordination between Sudan and Ethiopia in managing the dam’s operation increases risks, especially with the storage capacity of the Roseires and Sennar dams falling to less than 300 million cubic meters.
The Renaissance Dam is the largest infrastructure project in Ethiopia’s history, and its inauguration comes after years of regional and international controversy over its implications for the Nile River water. Egypt considers that the dam negatively affects its historical rights to Nile water.
