[ad_1]
Humanitarian agencies and Sudanese authorities are working together to deploy additional teams to meet the urgent needs of people affected by Sunday’s Arbat Dam collapse, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported.
Initial reports from OCHA indicate that the dam, located about 38 km northwest of Port Sudan in the Red Sea state, was severely damaged by heavy rains, killing at least 30 people. Dozens more are missing or displaced, and the death toll could be higher.
The UN agency said 84 boreholes collapsed; 10,000 livestock were missing; and 70 schools were damaged or destroyed.
OCHA said authorities estimated that at least 50,000 people were severely affected in areas west of the dam, but noted that damage to telecommunications networks made it difficult to gather more accurate information about the situation.
The affected people are in urgent need of assistance with water, food and shelter.
The Arbat Dam is a vital facility in Port Sudan and the main source of fresh water for the city. The damage is expected to have a significant impact on the water supply in Port Sudan.
The tragedy occurred as Sudan was mired in a protracted civil war pitting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The war, which broke out in April 2023, has killed thousands and displaced many more, creating a humanitarian disaster.
The humanitarian challenges are particularly great in the area around the Arbat Dam, which is home to around 240,000 displaced people, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration.
[ad_2]
Source link
