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| Jonglei Canal | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jonglei Canal |
| Location | South Sudan; Sudan (planned) |
| Status | abandoned/partly constructed |
| Start | Bahr al Jabal |
| End | White Nile |
| Length km | 360 |
| Began | 1959 (initial planning), 1978 (construction) |
| Contractor | Wolfgang Paal (consultant), Soviet Union involvement (studies) |
Jonglei Canal The Jonglei Canal project was a large-scale water infrastructure scheme conceived to divert floodwaters from the White Nile basin in southern Sudan to increase irrigation and reduce swamp-induced diseases. Conceived amid postcolonial plans for development, the scheme intersected with regional hydrology, colonial-era surveys, and Cold War era geopolitical interests involving multiple African and international actors.
The proposal traces to surveys by the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium, studies by the British Overseas Development Administration, and later planning by the governments of Sudan and international agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Development Programme. Proponents linked the project to objectives pursued by Gamal Abdel Nasser-era developmentalism, references to the Aswan High Dam, and broader Nile Basin development ambitions that involved nations like Egypt and Ethiopia. The canal aimed to drain parts of the Sudd wetlands to reclaim land for schemes comparable in intent to projects in Mesopotamia and the Colorado River basin, and to reduce transmission of diseases associated with marshlands—issues that also featured in public health efforts by the World Health Organization.
Early feasibility work involved engineers and hydrologists from the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Detailed design work in the 1950s–1970s included surveys of the Bahr al Jabal reach and consultations with firms and consultants who had experience with projects like the Missouri River flood control works and the Aswan High Dam studies. Construction commenced in 1978 under the Government of Sudan with labour and equipment; activities were interrupted by armed conflict involving groups such as the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and the Second Sudanese Civil War, drawing in regional players including Uganda and international responses influenced by policies of the United Nations and donor states. Works ceased in the early 1980s; remnants of excavation remain as evidence of the halted undertaking.
Design analyses relied on measurements of discharge from tributaries like the Bahr al Jabal and seasonal flood regimes tied to climatological patterns influenced by the Intertropical Convergence Zone and longer-term variability associated with events similar to those affecting the Sahelian droughts and El Niño–Southern Oscillation. Engineering proposals specified a canal alignment cutting through the Sudd to convey water with reduced losses to evaporation and evapotranspiration compared to the natural wetland route; comparisons were made with conveyance efficiency in projects such as the Panama Canal (for scale complexity) and diversion schemes on the Indus River. Hydraulic modelling referenced techniques used in projects by institutions like the International Commission on Large Dams and design methodologies taught at universities such as University of Khartoum and Cranfield University.
Environmental assessments anticipated major changes to the Sudd ecosystem, with implications for biodiversity including wetlands used by migratory birds tracked by initiatives akin to those of the Ramsar Convention and fisheries exploited by communities documented in studies similar to those from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Social consequences implicated Nilotic societies including the Dinka, Nuer, and Shilluk peoples whose livelihoods depended on seasonal grazing, flood recession agriculture, and artisanal fisheries—practices studied by anthropologists at institutions like SOAS University of London and researchers associated with the Smithsonian Institution. Critics compared potential effects to displacement episodes observed during projects like the creation of the Aswan High Dam reservoir and resettlement cases under the World Bank-financed programmes. Public health projections connected changes in habitat to vector-borne disease dynamics studied by the World Health Organization and field teams from Médecins Sans Frontières in the region.
The canal became embroiled in controversies involving water allocation politics among riparian states including Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan framed within treaties such as the legacy of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty negotiations and later Nile Basin diplomacy. Economic arguments weighed potential gains in irrigated agriculture and transport against costs estimated by finance ministries and multilateral lenders like the World Bank; debates evoked comparisons with financing models used for the Jubilee oil field projects and large-scale dams funded by export-credit agencies in China and France. Armed opposition by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement framed the canal within broader grievances tied to marginalisation in the south, drawing attention from international mediators including envoys from the United Nations and envoys previously involved in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement negotiations.
Remnants of early excavation persist on the ground; subsequent political changes—independence of South Sudan—and continued rivalry over Nile waters mean the project remains dormant. Contemporary Nile Basin cooperation frameworks such as the Nile Basin Initiative and agreements involving South Sudan and Egypt shape any prospective revival, while renewed interest in regional irrigation, hydropower, and climate adaptation—illustrated by projects like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam—could rekindle technical and diplomatic discussion. Any future would necessitate environmental review processes aligned with standards promoted by organizations like the International Union for Conservation of Nature and financial scrutiny by multilateral lenders, and would have to address rights and livelihoods of affected communities such as the Dinka and Nuer.
Category:Waterways in South Sudan Category:Infrastructure in Sudan