Sand Encroaches on Villages in Northern Sudan, Threatening Homes and Agricultural Land
Northern State – Mashawir
Villages in Sudan’s Northern State are facing the continuous spread of encroaching sand dunes, which have buried homes, agricultural land and date palm groves, while isolating residential communities from main roads. Residents are increasingly struggling to combat the phenomenon with their limited resources.
Residents of the areas of Nawa, Al-Ghadar and Lati said their suffering from sand encroachment has continued for decades. They explained that sand has spread across vast areas, blocking secondary roads connecting villages to the main highway, making movement difficult and preventing transport vehicles from reaching them.
A farmer told Al Jazeera Mubasher that “the sand has buried agricultural land that used to produce dates and alfalfa, along with wells and irrigation equipment, forcing him to abandon the land and move elsewhere to start farming again.”
He added that “the sand is also threatening newly cultivated land, amid difficulties in securing protective measures and essential irrigation supplies.”
Residents noted that sand encroachment has reached residential areas, with sand covering the roofs of some houses. Some homeowners have been forced to rebuild their houses and raise them to a second floor in an attempt to protect them from continued burial by advancing sand.
Residents said that “combating sand encroachment requires establishing green belts of trees to prevent sand from advancing towards villages and agricultural land. However, implementing such projects requires water supplies, irrigation hoses and electrically powered pumps, costs that households cannot afford on their own.”
They also pointed out that some areas suffer from water shortages, while other areas have available water sources but lack the equipment needed to transport water to trees and areas targeted for protection.
Residents called on the government, humanitarian organizations and charitable institutions to intervene and help them confront desert encroachment by conducting field studies, identifying the paths of advancing sand, establishing green belts, and providing the irrigation and energy resources needed to ensure their sustainability.
