The Nile regularly bursts its banks and farmers rely on the floodwater to create fertile land, but the flooding is unusually high this year, they say.
CAPE TOWN - Families in Sudan are trying to pick up the pieces after heavy floods have wreaked havoc in the North African country, washing away structures and killing 115 people.
Over the past few months, Sudan has experienced record rainfall, as rain and flooding exceeded records set in 1946 and 1988, forcing the government to declare a three-month state of emergency.
The latest floods have ravaged almost every state in the country.
Sudan is currently in its rainy season, which lasts from June to October.
According to news broadcaster Al Jazeera, the government has issued new warnings to communities living on the banks of the Nile that rains in the highlands of Ethiopia could lead to more flooding along the river.
The report also said that a committee tasked with dealing with the ramifications of the floods warned two weeks ago that the country may face more rains, adding that the water level in the Blue Nile rose to a record 17.58 metres, reported Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, according to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that as of Monday, 771,550 people were affected by floods in 17 out of Sudan’s 18 states.
The states most affected by floods are North Darfur, Khartoum, West Darfur and Sennar, which account for 47 per cent of all people affected.
According to a recent BBC report, the authorities in Sudan are trying to protect the country's ancient pyramids from flooding as heavy rains have caused the nearby River Nile to reach record-breaking levels.
The report says that the Nile regularly bursts its banks and farmers rely on the floodwaters to create fertile land, but the extent of this year's flooding is very unusual.
African News Agency