Security and Defence Council of Sudan has declared a national state of emergency for three months because of floods that have killed 99 people this year.
The council also designated Sudan a natural disaster zone, state news agency SUNA reported on Saturday.
Sudan’s minister of labour and social development said in addition to the deaths, floods this year have injured 46 people, inflicted damage on more than half a million people and caused the total and partial collapse of more than 100,000 homes, according to SUNA.
The rates of floods and rain in Sudan for this year exceeded the records set during the years 1946 and 1988, with expectations of continued rising indicators, minister Lena el-Sheikh added.
The council also announced the formation of a supreme committee headed by the ministry of labour and social development to deal with the ramifications of the floods for the fall (autumn) of 2020, SUNA said.
Sudan’s rainy season begins in June and continues through to October, which means the country experiences floods and torrential rains annually.
The committee warned on Friday the country may face more rains, adding that the water level in the Blue Nile rose to a record 17.58 metres.
The states of Khartoum, Blue Nile and River Nile are among the hardest-hit by the floods, while damage has also been reported in the Gezira, Gadarif, West Kordofan and South Darfur regions, according to the UN.
The UN said it was supporting the national response with emergency shelter and household supplies, together with water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, food, health services and vector control.
The UN reported that it was able to respond quickly as supplies to meet the needs of 250,000 people had been pre-positioned before the rains started.
But with stocks “being depleted rapidly”, the UN is calling for wider support from the international community.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
