Flooding of Crops in Shabsha

Abd Al-Basit Suleiman, the Secretary for Development and Production at the White Nile Development Organization (NORA), stated that the White Nile flood, which swept through the Shabsha area in Al-Duwiem, led to the submersion of all the cultivated land for this year, despite farmers having started harvesting their maize crops.

Abd Al-Basit revealed that the total area submerged by the floodwater was 880 acres, including 440 acres of the summer crop and 440 acres of the winter wheat crop. The project operates on a direct irrigation system from the river and is self-financed by the farmers. He added, “The average yield per acre of maize is 10 sacks, with the price of a sack at 150,000 pounds, while the price of a field of maize residue for fodder has reached 500,000 pounds.”

He also noted that all the irrigated projects north of Al-Duwiem had dropped out of the agricultural cycle, except for a few limited areas in the Qoz Al-Nagara and Mabrouka projects. This was attributed to security threats and the delayed rise in the Nile’s water levels at the beginning of the agricultural season.

Abd Al-Basit called on official authorities and organizations to support farmers, who are suffering from the destruction of irrigation infrastructure and control bridges.

According to “Nidaa Al-Wasat” in Al-Duwiem, the flood that struck the Shibsha area was caused by rising water levels and a break in the canal that supplies water to the agricultural projects in the region.