Flood Frequency and Impacts at Khartoum since the Early Nineteenth Century

Bibliographic Data

ID4706596
AuthorsR P D Walsh (0000-0002-8222-1186), H R J Davies, B Musa, Sabariah Musa (0000-0002-2708-0480), S B Musa
Year1994
Volume160
Issue3
Pages266
Publication date1994-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeographical Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0016-7398 • E-ISSN: 1475-4959
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/3059609
OpenAlexW1970879508
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited4

The nature and history of flooding problems at Khartoum since the early nineteenth century are examined using archival flow and river height records and historical documentary sources, putting the 1988 floods into historical perspective. Three genetically distinct types of flooding are identified: Nile floods; flooding of local ephemeral watercourses; and flooding of streets and houses by urban run off. The magnitude and frequency of Blue Nile floods has declined with the recent reduction in rainfall over Ethiopia. The 1988 Nile floods were minor in comparison to the 1946 flood and several in the late nineteenth century, when flooding was particularly frequent and severe. The 1988 floods mainly comprised overflows of local watercourses and widespread street flooding, both as a result of an exceptional 200-millimetre rainstorm over the Khartoum area. A recent decline in frequency of large rainstorms has been offset by a greater susceptibility to floods as a result of increased human occupation of flood-prone sites, inadequate urban drainage and increased run off coefficients. If the present dry conditions in the Sahel were to be replaced by the wetter climate of the late nineteenth century, Khartoum would face severe flooding problems

Archaeology · Flood myth · Geography · African history and culture analysis · African studies and sociopolitical issues · History · Hydrology and Drought Analysis

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