Sudan flood toll rises to 122

2007-09-04 20:51

Khartoum - The death toll from the worst floods in Sudan in living memory has risen to 122 with the death of eight people in heavy rains, which swept away houses and brought down electric cables.

Hamadallah Adam Ali, head of the government's civil defence authority, said on Tuesday that eight people died on Monday in flash floods in the town of Kosti in central Sudan, one of the worst-hit regions.

He said: "There have been rains of about 125mm.

"The whole city is full of water and it has destroyed more than 20 000 houses in Kosti and neighbouring villages. Now 122 people have died because of the floods.":

In Kosti one person was electrocuted when electric cables fell into the flood water and seven died when a house collapsed on them during heavy rainfall.

The UN humanitarian aid agency OCHA said the flooding in Africa's largest country had left at least 200 000 people homeless and had destroyed roads, schools and access to clean drinking water.

Agriculture destroyed

Sudan's economy and infrastructure have been shaken by civil conflict. The government and rebels have been fighting for control of the Darfur region for four years. In south Sudan, a two-year-old deal that ended 20 years of north-south conflict has been looking increasingly fragile.

The government said the floods had damaged or destroyed more than 50 000 hectares of agricultural land and claimed about 36 000 head of livestock across a county where most people depend on farming for their livelihood.

Last week the United Nations appealed for more than $20m to provide clean water, food and shelter to more than three million people affected by the floods.

"The UN says it will send money, but it will come too late," Ali said. "We need it now."

OCHA said last week that at least 3.5m people in Sudan could be at risk of epidemics spread by flood damage, such as malaria and acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), which has killed 57 people in eastern Sudan.

Social ramifications

Last month the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the AWD outbreak in eastern Sudan was cholera, a waterborne disease that can lead to death within hours if not treated.

Khartoum has denied that it is cholera.

Analysts said cholera could have social and political ramifications, making governments reluctant to use the word.

- Reuters