The Face of Truth: Forgotten Dams…
Ibrahim Shaglawi
Yesterday, we followed the visit of Engineer Dhu Al-Bayt Abdulrahman, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, accompanied by a number of engineers, to the summer maintenance and operation works at Sennar Dam. He praised the expertise of the staff, stressed the importance of safety procedures and the provision of protective equipment, and affirmed his ministry’s commitment to ensuring the dam operates regularly to secure irrigation water for the Gezira Scheme.
The dam’s director announced the completion of about 90% of the maintenance work, which included 25 main gates between the Managil and Gezira canals, in addition to the provision of spare parts.
These efforts, despite their importance, come within a more complex context. The war that disrupted routine maintenance of Sudanese dams—particularly water harvesting dams, especially in Darfur and Kordofan—has not only created a service gap but also opened the door to environmental and social imbalances that may worsen with the rainy season if it exceeds expectations.
Added to this is climate change, which is no longer merely a theoretical assumption but a reality imposing itself on the Sudanese landscape. Heavy rains in areas unaccustomed to them, unprecedented storms, and partial collapses of vital dams—as happened in August 2024 at Arbaat Dam—are all indicators that water infrastructure is now facing a test beyond its traditional capacity. In this context, maintenance becomes not just a preventive option, but an absolute necessity.
These dams and reservoirs, built to serve as the first line of defense for rural communities, were not designed to withstand prolonged neglect. They depend on a regular maintenance program to remove silt, regulate discharge channels, and protect earthen embankments from erosion. With the absence of this vital cycle, elements of weakness accumulate unnoticed, turning these structures from tools of stability into latent sources of danger—threats that require only an unusual rainy season to turn into disaster.
Despite the inclusion of water harvesting projects in the state budget for 2026, and the accompanying emphasis on their strategic importance, the gap between decision and implementation remains the real challenge. Here, the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance emerges as the body concerned with translating these commitments into tangible reality, by accelerating the allocation and provision of the necessary funding for maintenance and rehabilitation works—especially in safe states where these projects can restore their role in supporting rural stability and preventing conflicts over water and grazing.
In this context, previous statements by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Gibril Ibrahim, gain additional significance, as he had earlier expressed a clear understanding of the role of water harvesting projects in supporting rural development and enhancing sustainability. However, this understanding, despite its political importance, still requires urgent practical translation through effective financial allocations that match the seriousness of the upcoming season, because time in the water sector does not wait for the completion of bureaucratic cycles.
On the other hand, major dams such as Merowe, Roseires, and Upper Atbara and Setit stand under a different, more complex and expansive pressure, as they bear the greater burden of managing the Nile flood and regulating its flows. During the flood season, the inflow of the White Nile ranges between 100 to 150 million cubic meters per day, while the Blue Nile surges to between 500 to 700 million cubic meters per day—a disparity that reflects the scale of hydrological energy these structures must handle.
Regionally, the equation deepens under the continued impacts of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as the fluctuation of Blue Nile inflows—especially during peak flood periods—has become not merely a seasonal factor but a structural variable reshaping the logic of operations in Sudanese dams, particularly Merowe and Roseires.
Although the discharge of the reservoir continues steadily toward the expected minimum level by the end of June, the disparity between the inflows of the Blue and White Niles widens amid sharp climatic and hydrological fluctuations, imposing an adaptive management approach that goes beyond operational flexibility to a precise recalibration of the water safety equation.
Within this landscape, the pre-flood discharge procedures of dams emerge as a strategic tool for risk management. Opening gates, flushing silt, and lowering water levels are all decisions that carry precise calculations between avoiding floods and preserving sufficient water storage. It is a delicate balancing act between risk and need.
Moreover, the move toward localizing the manufacture of spare parts for irrigation systems reflects a sound awareness of the importance of technical independence amid import complexities and fluctuating supply chains. This is an economic-political dimension no less important than maintenance itself, as it links water sovereignty with industrial sovereignty.
In this context, and according to #The_Face_of_Truth, maintaining major dams and water harvesting structures—so they do not become forgotten dams—must turn into a mirror reflecting the state’s ability to manage its complex crises. It is a test of institutional effectiveness, of the resilience of infrastructure in the face of war, and of the country’s capacity to adapt to climate change and Nile flows. Preparedness for the rainy season is not measured by the percentage of maintenance completed, but by the ability to read the entire landscape: from the upper Nile to all states, and from engineering calculations to political stakes. Only then do dams transform from silent structures into active instruments in the battle for survival and sound developmental planning.
Stay well and in good health.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Shglawi55@gmail.com