A new plan for a 240-mile canal diverting water from the White Nile to Egypt is being developed.
However, not everyone is happy, as the project could dry out the world’s largest wetland, which would impact wildlife in the area.
The Sudd swamp is so large that it can be seen from space. It is Africa’s largest freshwater wetland at 3500 square miles.
Some are worried it is now under threat of being turned into a desert, reports National Observer.
Egypt is set to fund the scheme, and ministers in South Sudan hope the canal will reduce flooding around the wetland, which forced thousands to flee their homes last year.
South Sudan’s environment ministry is fighting a rearguard action against the canal due to the impact it will have on the environment.
The swamp is home to one of the world’s largest mammal migrations, with 1.3 million antelope moving across the grasslands. The area also has thousands of crocodiles, hippos, elephants and zebras.
Others have weighed in their thoughts on what the canal could mean. Hydrologists say that cutting evaporation from the swamp may deliver water to Egypt, reducing rainfall for farms and rainforests.
The canal was first proposed by British colonial engineers in 1904 and was two-thirds completed by the 1980s when a civil war struck.
Since then, South Sudan has gained independence, and some of the new country’s ministers want to complete the canal.
Some have suggested that Sudd’s water should be harnessed for economic development.
Yale Environment 360 saw a private presentation by then-water minister Manawa Peter Gatkuoth to the Council of Ministers in December 2021, which claimed that the canal could provide water to irrigate up to 7.5 million acres of land.
In February, South Sudan’s vice president for infrastructure, Taban Deng Gai, who comes from an area hit by recent flooding, became the first minister to publicly call for the canal’s completion. Deng Gai said the canal would reduce flooding and provide water to those who need it.
An assessment has estimated that the total economic value of the Sudd for natural resources, regulating the river, and cultural and biodiversity benefits is £2.6 billion. Despite this, researchers note that the marsh will be unable to return to its previous state, and the ecosystem will not exist in the same way again.
The canal’s supporters point out that it would not entirely dry up the Sudd; it would merely shrink it, but it is unknown how much it would shrink.
While plans appear to go ahead for now, the complexities and debates surrounding the canal may cause complications.