According to officials in the Department of Water Resources, the main crimes related to water resources include the following:

?        Pollution caused by wastes from households, industries and urban centres because of the absence of proper sewage systems, and the application of herbicides and insecticides. Water pollution affects mainly the Nile River, Sudan?s main water source.

?        Trans-boundary water pollution, which is most pronounced in the Nile. In 2003/4 chemicals were discovered in the White Nile that had not originated from Sudan.

?        Poison fishing, which leads to water pollution.

?        Pollution as a result of indiscriminate waste disposal resulting from the absence of landfill sites. In 2008 a company responsible for collecting and disposing wastes was reported to the police for disposing solid wastes either on or along public roads.

?        Cultivation along river banks that leads to water pollution, siltation and an increase in water turbidity. The pollution is caused by the application of manure and fertilizers.

?        The location of hotels with poor sewage systems along the Nile. In 2008, two cases were reported to the police in southern Sudan accusing the InterAfrica Hotel and the Hamza Inn of discharging untreated wastes into the Nile.

?        Deforestation in catchment areas, which results in increased surface runoff and river siltation.

?        Other water-related crimes include illegal connections to treated-water systems, the illegal pumping of water and the destruction of water systems and pipes.

These crimes, all of which contravene article 20 of the Environmental Protection Act of 2001, affect human health and safety in general, quite apart from increasing the cost of water treatment for domestic use.

Source:

Nature and extent of environmental crime in Sudan. Abdel HA Hamid, Donald A. Mwiturubani, and Deborah Osiro.