The United Nations celebrates, on March 22 of each year, World Water Day, as an important reminder of the ability of states to manage their resources in times of major transformations. However, in the Sudanese context, we must mark this day as the very essence of the battle for survival and state reconstruction.
Managing water resources reflects the efficiency of governance, as it represents a dividing line between developmental stability and political and administrative fragmentation in dealing with this vital artery for both people and the state.
The Sudanese paradox appears painful: water resources estimated at about 85 billion cubic meters annually, fed by the Nile River, in addition to groundwater reserves approaching 30 billion cubic meters, are met with fragility in management and erosion in the strategic water infrastructure.
With the population exceeding 48 million and a rapid growth rate surpassing 2.5% annually, pressures on these resources are intensifying, turning theoretical abundance into a practical scarcity felt even by the ordinary citizen. Here, the question shifts from “How much do we have?” to “How do we manage?”, and from “Where is the resource?” to “Where is the state?”.
The agricultural sector alone consumes about 80% of total water, under traditional irrigation patterns that reflect a historical imbalance in demand management rather than a shortage in supply. Meanwhile, access to safe drinking water does not exceed 65% in urban areas and drops to less than 40% in rural regions, revealing a water gap that translates daily into social and developmental burdens, with women and girls bearing the largest share in a silence where fatigue blends with weak management. This disparity reflects not only service deficiencies but also reproduces power relations and stability within society, where access to water becomes a privilege rather than a right.
In the post-war context, water management has emerged as one of the pillars of state reconstruction, as suggested in the appointment address of Prime Minister Kamil Idris, who emphasized alignment with development. Economic recovery or social stability cannot be envisioned without an effective water infrastructure. Water is linked to public health, food security, and energy, and it becomes an important factor in reducing local conflicts, mitigating disputes, and facilitating the return of displaced persons. However, despite its presence in government discourse, this awareness has not yet translated into integrated policies and a comprehensive strategy for managing water resources that reorganizes priorities and builds capable institutions.
The crisis deepens with environmental challenges. The United Nations Environment Programme indicates that Sudan is among the countries most affected by climate change, with declining rainfall and increasing extreme events. This climatic shift not only adds pressure on resources but also exposes infrastructure fragility and unveils the absence of developmental planning. With continued reliance on groundwater, future reserves are being depleted, as if the country is consuming a future resource in the present.
Regionally, the dimensions of the crisis are evident in the complexities of the Nile Basin, where Ethiopia is redefining its water position through extended policies and major projects, foremost among them the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, along with three additional dams recently announced, thereby reshaping equations of flow and control. Amid stalled negotiations and weak coordination, Sudan finds itself in an ambiguous position, oscillating between geography that offers opportunity and politics that weakens its ability to capitalize on it. The absence of a coherent national vision to manage this file is no less dangerous than the challenges associated with it.
A comparison with regional experiences clearly reveals the gap. When Ethiopia launches a twenty-year water and energy policy based on partnership and governance, it reshapes its relationship with the state, society, and the market. In contrast, Sudan remains captive to complex, partial approaches that do not address the roots of the crisis.
The essence of Sudan’s water crisis does not lie in scarcity, but in managing scarcity within a system of abundance. It is a crisis of administrative mindset before it is a resource crisis, and a crisis of vision before it is a crisis of capabilities. Therefore, overcoming this impasse requires a shift from crisis management to resource management through a comprehensive national strategy based on rehabilitating infrastructure, improving efficiency of use, reforming governance, integrating climate considerations, and expanding participation.
In this context, water becomes an entry point to redefining the state. A state that manages its water well manages its resources well and reads its future wisely. But a state that wastes its water, in a sense, wastes its chance of survival. Thus, the real question becomes: can Sudan transform water from a burden to be managed into a force through which the state itself is managed? That is the challenge, and that is the face of truth.
Wishing you continued health and well-being.
Sunday, March 29, 2026
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