Egypt seeks to take advantage of Nile River floods
After Sudan was exposed to a violent flood that killed hundreds of citizens, the Egyptian government announced a preparedness plan to deal with floods and torrents. Egypt is also trying to take advantage of the abundance of flood water to meet its water needs.
The floods that hit Sudan in July killed hundreds of people and destroyed thousands of homes. It came as a warning for the Egyptian government to take seriously the potential danger of floods.
On Sept. 15, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly tasked the government with developing an emergency plan to cope with the floods and the rise in water levels in the Greater Upper Nile region in Sudan, and to prepare maps of the most vulnerable areas across all governorates.
Spokesman for the Ministry of Irrigation Muhammad al-Sibai said in a statement Sept. 23, “The Nile flooding has indeed reached Egypt on Aug. 1 and is expected to continue until next October and possibly November.”
Sibai said that 13 governorates through which the Nile passes have been warned, stressing that “some crops have been dumped in the alluvium areas,” as a result of the floods.
