The water and electricity crisis in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, persists, posing one of the greatest challenges for residents returning to the city following a lull in fighting across large areas. Faced with prolonged power outages and dwindling supplies of potable water, thousands of citizens are confronting an increasingly difficult daily reality, compounded by damaged infrastructure and the rising cost of living.
Local and international reports indicate that the war, which erupted in April 2023, has caused severe damage to electricity grids, water treatment plants, and transmission and distribution networks. This has drastically reduced the operational capacity of both sectors, while maintenance efforts are hampered by shortages of funding, spare parts, and fuel, alongside the continued targeting of infrastructure facilities.
Drop in Nile Water Levels
In Khartoum, the water crisis has intensified in recent months due to falling water levels in the Nile River, causing several intake and treatment stations to go offline or operate at reduced efficiency. Technical teams are implementing temporary solutions—such as extending intake lines and activating wells—but the effectiveness of these measures is limited by unreliable electricity supplies and shortages of water treatment chemicals.
Residents in various neighborhoods report relying on water purchased from tankers or carts, while others are forced to travel long distances to fetch water from wells. These practices raise growing concerns about the use of unsafe water sources, which could increase the risk of waterborne diseases, particularly during the rainy season.
Prolonged Power Outages
The electricity crisis continues to cast a shadow over various aspects of daily life; many areas experience outages lasting more than 18 hours a day. This disrupts the operation of hospitals, water pumping stations, and commercial and industrial activities, while also forcing many families to rely on generators or solar power—despite the high costs involved relative to most citizens’ financial means.
Ahmed Omar, a resident of the area west of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, stated that the water crisis has become a daily burden for locals. He explained that residents had dug five wells in an attempt to secure a water source, but all of them yielded saline water unfit for drinking. He added that the only source of potable water is located far away, forcing residents to buy it and transport it using donkey-drawn carts at a cost of 5,000 Sudanese pounds per barrel—a price that compounds the financial strain on families amidst difficult economic conditions.
For his part, Ezzeldin Mirghani noted that the disruption of water supplies has had widespread health consequences for the population. He pointed out that many families have been forced to use contaminated water containing mosquito larvae, debris, and other pollutants, leading—according to him—to a rise in cases of diarrhea and urinary tract infections. He added that residents had contacted the relevant authorities to demand a resolution to the water and electricity crises but had received no response so far. He urged government authorities to intervene urgently to provide safe drinking water and stable electricity supplies in order to safeguard public health and alleviate the suffering of citizens.
In the same vein, resident Ahmed Abdel-Salam noted that water outages have directly impacted the lives of residents, including his own family. He explained that the scarcity of supplies has driven locals to dig wells and small pits in search of alternative water sources. He emphasized that water is no longer available daily or in sufficient quantities to meet basic household needs, thereby exacerbating residents’ suffering and compounding their living burdens.
Crisis Within a Crisis
Experts observe a direct link between the water and electricity crises; the operation of water stations relies on a stable electricity supply, whereas power outages cause pumps to stop and water production to drop. This creates a cycle of interconnected crises that directly affect health and educational services as well as economic activities. Furthermore, rising fuel prices have increased the costs of operating generators and transporting water, which has driven up the prices of basic goods and services.
The Sudanese government asserts that it is implementing plans to rehabilitate electricity grids and water stations—including repairing power generation plants, restarting substations, and replacing damaged transformers, alongside programs to rehabilitate water facilities in Khartoum and several other states. However, officials point out that the scale of the destruction requires significant investment and considerable time to restore services to their previous levels.
The repercussions of the electricity crisis have not been limited to households and public services; they have also directly affected workshops and industrial zones that rely on electricity for their daily production operations. In industrial zones across Khartoum, Bahri, Omdurman, and Port Sudan, blacksmithing, carpentry, and furniture-making workshops, as well as engineering shops and small factories, face mounting challenges due to frequent power outages. These disruptions halt welding and cutting equipment, lathes, and woodworking machinery, leading to delays in fulfilling customer orders and a drop in productivity.
According to Mohamed Ali, owner of Al-Ahram Workshop in the industrial zone, power outages are the primary issue workshop owners face; electricity is cut for more than nine hours during working hours, even though operations rely entirely on a steady power supply.
Workshop owners emphasize that relying on electric generators is no longer a practical option for many due to soaring fuel prices and high operating and maintenance costs. This situation forces some workshops to reduce working hours or temporarily suspend operations, while others are compelled to raise product prices to offset losses.
Economists warn that the ongoing electricity crisis threatens to hinder the industrial sector’s recovery and negatively impact job opportunities and supply chains—particularly given that these industries are vital to the local economy.
Restoring Destroyed Stations
Meanwhile, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations continue to support the water and sanitation sector by rehabilitating water stations, utilizing solar energy at certain facilities, and supplying clean water to affected communities. These efforts aim to curb the crisis’s escalation and mitigate the risk of waterborne disease outbreaks.
Adnan Hizam, spokesperson for the Red Cross, states that the organization has provided logistical support to local authorities and water agencies. This assistance included supplying drinking water purification materials and pumps, as well as offering technical recommendations that facilitated the repair of several stations—ultimately helping to deliver water to more than three million Sudanese people.
Amid persistent security and economic challenges, restoring water and electricity services remains a cornerstone for the return of normalcy to Khartoum. Observers believe that reconstruction efforts cannot succeed without the provision of stable essential services that meet the population’s needs and support the country’s economic and social recovery.
According to officials, there are 13 major water stations in Khartoum; 12 of them have been destroyed, with the exception of the Al-Manara station in the Karari locality of Omdurman.