Al -Qash .. and new dams projects – the face of the truth – ✍️ Ibrahim Shaqlawi
The Al -Qash river has experienced an unprecedented increase in the water level at Kassala Garde station, reaching 290 centimeters, against 160 centimeters the day before, which is the highest level since the start of the rainy season for this year. This rapid escalation in water, which coincided with unprecedented rains in the state of Kassala, reopened the file of seasonal floods and state plans in the management of water resources, in particular in the light of growing climatic challenges.
What is happening each year in the bastard from a renewed flood is a very political and economic indication of the gap of public policies in the treatment of water as a strategic element for national security. In the light of the climbing of fears of the repeated scenario of floods which struck areas such as the aroma and the delta, north of Kassala, the local authorities rushed to improve protection and supply procedures, by strengthening bridges and the treatment of collapses, within the framework of a defensive program more than a development.
Despite the presence of resolution n ° 16 of the Sudanese firm published in 2021, which depends on the agricultural PASH project at the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, after years of administrative interactions. The decision confirmed by the Sudanese official news agency (SONA) was a decisive step towards the redefinition of the project as a sovereign, with a nature of development linked to food security and water at the same time.
In the light of this decision, the Ministry of Irrigation had previously decided to restore the initiative and began for the maintenance and rehabilitation agreements for the project channels, and an estimated budget was awarded by the Federal Ministry of Finance, according to what was announced by the ministry’s under-secretary, engineer Daw Al-Bayt Abdul Rahman. Official declarations have confirmed that there is a clear orientation towards the implementation of urgent priorities, in particular by supporting the taming of the river and developing the infrastructure of the old agricultural project.
What supports these efforts is the complete technical study prepared by the engine. Othman Haider Abdel Hadi- The writer obtained a copy of computer science- which is a strategic hydrological reference for the Drainage Basin of the Al-Qash river. The study covers the period from 2015 to 2020, and it depends on advanced analysis models such as HEC-HMS and WMS, to estimate the surface flow, losses and peak points, which provides a powerful database to formulate water harvesting projects and convert breakage into a permanent flow river, instead of being a minimum impact.
The study’s recommendations included proposals for creating strategic dams, including the “gastronomic dam and hakota”, which can be addressed by more than a billion cubic meters of water, or about 23% of Gash’s total water from Eritrea to the Atbara river. The analyzes indicate that this can lead to the regulation of the flow throughout the year, which makes it possible to use water in the consumption of alcohol, irrigation and electricity production.
More importantly, the vision of the proposed development does not stop at the simple dam building, but rather extends to the connection of the Gass River with the Atbara river and Baraka through a subnet that begins from the Kassala plains, which opens the door to the regional integration of water which guarantees greater stability of the population, and transforms seasonal threats into investment opportunities.
In this context, it should be noted by the cooperation shown by local farmers with the government, because their leaders have expressed their satisfaction with the return of the project to the Ministry of Irrigation, and confirmed their desire to pay water costs, despite the drop in areas grown to only 20,000 acres, against 80,000 before.
But all these hopes remain hostage with a political will capable of converting scientific data into general implemented policies, which requires more than simple ministerial decisions or seasonal measures. Therefore, a strategic vision is necessary that reduces state priorities on the concept of water safety as a pillar of sovereignty and development.
It also requires higher institutional coordination between the Ministry of Irrigation and the States concerned, and the provision of sustainable funding which exceeds limited credits which have been announced recently “80 million pounds for supply work, and 50 million for the construction of dams, extending the channels, establish and use occupations and categories of forms.
According to what we see in the face of truth, the tame of the Qash river represents a real test of the capacity of our country to transform the challenges into opportunities. In light of the fragility of the climate, the disturbance of the political situation and frequent displacement, as water occurs as a central element in the reconstruction of the relationship between the State and the Society. Consequently, the transformation of the Al -Qash river into a permanent stream and its connection with the network of the eastern river is a real development project, as well as a strategic stage to reshape the east of Sudan as an active productive center. Consequently, investing in the Al -Qash river is a national necessity which opens the door to an integrated management of resources, and the transformation of water from a seasonal crisis to a permanent source of development and possible justice if the intention is reinforced, it will not weaken the body.
You are fine and well.
