As the countdown to Sudan’s rain and flood season begins, fears of a massive environmental disaster due to the impacts of ongoing warfare have surfaced. The conflict has further damaged the country’s already weak infrastructure, coupled with a massive build-up of waste, raising concerns about potential health hazards.
Environmental and Water Systems Consultant, Hanan Al-Amin Madhur, indicated to Sky News Arabia that the rain and accompanying winds could carry waste residues and remains of buried bodies into residential areas and public roads. This could lead to the proliferation of harmful bacteria in the air and possibly contaminate drinking water networks, resulting in the spread of severe diseases like cholera and bilharzia.
Madhur emphasized that to avoid these catastrophic consequences, wide-ranging sanitation operations are necessary. Rapid response to this looming disaster to minimize the associated risks is crucial. However, such a feat is challenging to achieve in the absence of effective waste and debris management.
Sudan has witnessed disastrous conditions over the last four autumn seasons. Still, it is anticipated that this year’s autumn will be significantly worse due to the devastation caused by the war. The conflict that broke out in mid-April resulted in massive destruction of roads and sewer networks. Maintenance and repair operations have entirely ceased due to security issues, which have halted over 70% of civilian activities and led to the displacement of thousands of workers and employees from the capital to less dangerous areas.
For more than a hundred days, waste transport services from residential areas have been suspended due to the precarious security situation, foreshadowing an imminent environmental disaster. There are particular concerns about the presence of organic waste, which could directly contribute to the spread of disease vectors, thereby increasing the risk of epidemic diseases.
Experts have also warned of a significant health and environmental disaster due to decomposing bodies left for several days on some public roads in central Khartoum. Only recently, teams from the Sudanese Red Crescent, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other voluntary organizations were able to bury some of these remains. However, the threat posed by the decomposition process is still a grave concern, adding to the environmental and health crisis Sudan currently faces.
