Omdurman city, located north of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, has been facing a major drinking water crisis for the past five days due to an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Merowe Dam in Northern State. Local authorities have confirmed that the attack caused a complete power outage, halting the operations of the Nile stations and wells, leading to the water crisis.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Khartoum State government explained that the RSF’s drone attack on the Merowe Dam, a key hydroelectric facility on the Nile River, was responsible for the disruption. As a result, the city has struggled to access its primary water supply.
Efforts are underway to address the crisis. The government stated that intensive actions are being taken to find urgent solutions. Khartoum State’s governor, Ahmed Osman Hamza, visited several wells in the western districts of the Al-Thawra neighbourhood to assess the situation and ensure the operation of wells using generators. The authorities have also instructed the distribution of water from the Al-Manara water station’s reserve to alleviate the shortage.
The Khartoum State Water Corporation has mobilized engineers to implement emergency measures, including activating 15 wells across different neighbourhoods. These efforts have begun to restore some water supply to affected areas.
Omdurman, Sudan’s second-largest city, has seen a population surge as it became one of the safer regions amid the ongoing conflict. As a result, many displaced people have relocated here. However, the water crisis has left residents struggling, with long queues for access to water from old wells or water trucks.
Since mid-April 2023, Sudan has been in the grip of a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, resulting in at least 29,683 deaths and displacing nearly 15 million people, both within Sudan and beyond its borders, according to recent estimates from international organizations.
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