The water level of the Nile in Sudan has dropped drastically since Ethiopia began filling its Grand Renaissance Dam. This has forced farmers to use pumps even during the traditional rainy season and led to new islands forming in the river.

Khartoum

Farmers in Khartoum, Sudan, have reported significant declines in the Nile River's water levels over the past five years. Many attribute these changes to the filling of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, which began in 2020 and has held back billions of cubic metres of water.

Local residents and officials say the reduced water flow has altered farming practices, created new land formations, and affected incomes. While Ethiopia maintains the dam will not harm downstream countries, Sudanese officials argue that the dam is impacting water availability and call for agreements to mitigate its effects.

Sudan’s Nile shrinks, fears rise over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam

Using a water pump to irrigate his farm is not unusual for Yaqub Hassan, a farmer in Omdurman in Sudan's capital Khartoum. He says he used to turn on the pump during the summer and winter seasons, while the Nile flooded during rainy seasons and reached his farm. But he says the past five years the river's level has been dropping further and further, forcing him to use a pump even during the rainy season. In recent years, the water hadn't been rising. It doesn't flood like before. Last year it rose for about seven days and then went back again. There hasn't been an increase of more than a metre since. And that's every now and then. That means no silt for us to use for farming. It's because of the dam built on the Nile. It's holding back the water. He's referring to the hydroelectric dam neighbouring Ethiopia has built on the Blue Nile, the main source of the Nile. People here say the level has been dropping since Ethiopia began filling its dam in 2020, holding back billions of cubic metres of water. Since then, those living along the Nile here say they've noticed changes in the water levels of the river. And some changes are easy to see. This is the Blue Nile, which contributes about 80% of the entire Nile River's waters. The patch of land behind me over there was covered by the river up until just a year ago. It's not the only place where the drop in levels is clearly seen. The island of Tuti lies on the Nile and is Saleh Fawzi's hometown. A river tour guide, he says he used to need his boat to move around on any part of the river. Now, some parts are easy to wade through on foot. For the past four or five years, there's been a lot of changes in the Nile. New islands forming, less water flowing. It's all because of the Renaissance dam holding back water. On Tuti Island, we have a new island to the west and another one forming in the east. About seven to ten years ago, we didn't have all these lands on the Nile. This has affected our water routes and our income. Ethiopia has always maintained the dam will not affect downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt. But state officials here dispute that. Dams affect water levels and the Renaissance dam is built at the source of the Nile. So it affects the amount of water flowing downstream. In the past, during the rainy season, the river rises to the point of flooding and farmers benefited. We had remedies when the levels dropped, but with the dam, there needs to be an agreement with downstream countries to reduce its impact. People here say five years of holding back water from the Nile has resulted in these changes. And with Ethiopia's dam now filled, those here say they fear these changes may be permanent. Hiba Morgan, Al Jazeera, Khartoum.

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