KHARTOUM, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's civil defense authority announced on Sunday a significant rise in the water levels of Nile River, urging citizens living in the islands and along the river to take extra precautions.
"The levels of Blue Nile River at Al-Daim station on the border with Ethiopia registered a significant rise of 60 cm, reaching 12.84 meters," Mohamedain Abul-Qasim, spokesman of the civil defense authority, said in a statement.
"The water discharge from Al-Rusaires Dam registered 565.55 cubic meters on Sunday, compared to 563.89 cubic meters on Saturday," he added.
Abdul-Qasim warned that the Nile levels might further rise in the coming days, saying that "the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone is still on the far north with expected rain falling."
Meanwhile, Sudan's Ministry of Water Resources, Electricity and Dams said the Blue Nile has reached its highest level in the past century, exceeding the time when Sudan was hit by the big flood in 1946.
The ministry urged citizens who live near the banks of the Nile and its tributaries, namely in Khartoum State, to take further precautions.
Earlier, Sudanese Meteorological Authority said that rains were expected in the Red Sea State, the southern parts of Northern State, Nahral-Neel, Kassala, Gedddarif, Khartoum, Gezira and Sinnar States in addition to Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile States.
