Increasing risk of floods on the Blue Nile

Sudan’s ministry of irrigation warned on 5 August of an increased danger of flooding along the Blue Nile following last week’s heavy rains, news agencies reported. Reuters quoted a statement from the ministry as saying the level of the Blue Nile had continued to rise, and people living on its banks should be “on alert”. According to civil defence authorities, 32 villages in Nile River State, about 300 km north of Khartoum, had already been hit by floods. Meanwhile, a state of emergency had been declared in Tawkar Province - 600 km east of Khartoum on the Red Sea coast - as a result of flood waters from highland areas and the River Barakah, Reuters said.