How is responsibility for environmental protection and everyday surroundings divided in Sudan?

HCENR coordinates federal environmental policy, while state Environment and Natural Resources Councils, ministries, water corporations, utilities, public institutions, civil-society bodies and native administration perform different functions. Humanitarian WASH partners provide additional water, sanitation and hygiene support where formal services are disrupted or unavailable.

How can a household or community access safe water and sanitation support in Sudan?

Access usually follows location-based targeting in areas affected by displacement, return, cholera or conflict and may involve networks, water points, boreholes, chlorination, water trucking, repairs or hygiene and sanitation assistance. There is no identified nationwide household application route, universal entitlement, published national fee or fixed service deadline; security, infrastructure, fuel and partner presence determine availability.

What must a project likely to harm Sudan’s environment or natural resources provide before approval?

It must obtain an environmental feasibility study before the competent authority grants the relevant permit. The study covers expected impacts, avoidable harm, alternatives, long-term resource sustainability, relevant non-renewable-resource exploitation and mitigation measures, and an Evaluation and Follow-up Committee constituted by HCENR signs it.

How can a person report an environmental danger or pollution problem in Sudan?

The person should report the danger or violation to the competent authority. The legal framework also permits public civil action without proving a personal relationship to the damage, subject to civil-rights and procedural rules.

What should a person do after finding suspected explosive remnants of war in Sudan?

The person should avoid touching or approaching the item, use mine-action safety information and seek referral through the National Mine Action Center, UNMAS, UNICEF or other mine-action partners. No public nationwide individual-clearance application, fee or deadline was identified, and insecurity can restrict coverage.

Surroundings in Sudan

Everyday surroundings in Sudan are shaped by water and sanitation, pollution control, safety risks, green and open space, accessibility, participation and spatial change. Formal responsibility is fragmented among the Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources (HCENR), state councils, water corporations, utilities, public authorities and humanitarian water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) partners. Access to water and safety support depends heavily on location, security, infrastructure, funding and partner presence rather than a universal household service. Environmental law provides reporting, project-assessment and enforcement routes, but national monitoring, fees, deadlines and public-space standards are not consistently available.

Tip

Treat access to water, sanitation and safety support in Sudan as location-dependent and potentially interruptible. Choose the safest documented local pathway, keep a second pathway identified where possible, and do not assume a universal service, fixed deadline or public-space standard. For projects or pollution risks, use the environmental approval and reporting routes before costs or exposure increase.

byAisha&Mohamed

Sudan has no nationwide household surroundings service or benefit. Environmental governance is shared between HCENR, state Environment and Natural Resources Councils, federal and state ministries, public institutions, permitted civil-society bodies and native administration. Water services are mainly provided through State Water Corporations, urban utilities, water points and boreholes, while emergency support is delivered through WASH Cluster agencies, UNICEF and implementing partners. Available water pathways include network supply, boreholes, chlorination, household chlorine and jerrycan kits, emergency water trucking, repairs, rehabilitation and solarization. From January to June 2026, 6.6 million people received safe-water support. About two-thirds of emergency interventions focused on internally displaced people, returnees and cholera- or conflict-affected communities, while about one-third supported recovery and infrastructure sustainability. Construction or rehabilitation of 120 urban water facilities reached 2.2 million people, including restored access for about 600,000 people through the Nyala urban system and more than 100,000 internally displaced people through a semi-permanent scheme in Tawila. Water quality and quantity remain uneven. About 4.4 million people received emergency chlorination and water-quality monitoring, with more than 15,000 residual-chlorine tests conducted; 46% of samples met national drinking-water standards. Across the population assessed, 45% reached the humanitarian reference of 15 litres per person per day, while 29% received between 7.5 and 15 litres. Access is targeted mainly by location and vulnerability, especially in displacement sites, return areas, cholera hotspots and conflict-affected communities. No general household application route, universal entitlement, published national user fee or fixed service deadline was identified. Security, infrastructure, fuel, procurement and partner presence determine whether support is available. Sanitation and hygiene support includes latrine construction, repairs, desludging, hygiene supplies and behaviour-change activities. From January to June 2026, 78,249 people received appropriate sanitation support, 897,936 received hygiene behaviour-change support and 369,799 received critical WASH supplies. In some camps, one latrine serves up to 100 users, compared with an emergency reference of 50. Displacement, underfunding, construction and maintenance gaps, desludging limitations, procurement delays and movement restrictions leave open defecation and unsafe water as continuing outbreak risks. Environmental law requires an environmental feasibility study before the competent authority permits a project or programme likely to harm the environment or natural resources. An Evaluation and Follow-up Committee constituted by HCENR signs the study. The study must address expected impacts, avoidable negative effects, alternatives, long-term resource sustainability, continued exploitation of non-renewable resources where relevant and mitigation measures. No official fee, application form, processing time or filing deadline was identified. The requirement concerns projects likely to cause negative effects and does not automatically apply to every activity. Sudan’s legal framework covers harmful air pollution, pollution of water sources, soil contamination, refuse dumping, epidemic pollution, excessive noise, unsuitable industrial light, tree removal, damage to vegetation cover, desertification, and encroachment on natural watercourses or flood routes. A current nationwide series of official air, noise or light monitoring results and residential exposure thresholds was not identified. Competent authorities may set and publish pollution-control standards. A person must report environmental dangers or violations to the competent authority. The law also provides a right to reimbursement of expenses for necessary protective assistance and permits public civil action without proving a personal relationship to the damage, subject to civil-rights and procedural rules. A competent authority may enter or search an establishment, project or place only after permission from the competent prosecution bureau. A court may confiscate subject materials, suspend an activity or project, revoke a licence wholly or partly and award compensation. Under the current consolidated Arabic text, the maximum penalty is three years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 10,000 Sudanese pounds, or both; repeat offences may receive double penalties. Where an environmental court exists it has jurisdiction, otherwise an ordinary criminal court handles the matter. Older English translations show a different currency or amount, so the current Arabic consolidation controls. Explosive remnants of war can affect homes, backyards, schools, hospitals and streets. The National Mine Action Center, UNMAS and UNICEF support explosive-ordnance risk education and survivor assistance, particularly in Kordofan, Blue Nile, White Nile, Sennar and Red Sea. During the first half of 2026, 340,339 children and caregivers received risk education or survivor assistance, and 61 child survivors received victim assistance. No public nationwide individual-clearance application, fee or deadline was identified. The practical route is to avoid suspected items, use community safety information and contact mine-action partners for referral; insecurity and access restrictions limit coverage. Community participation operates through WASH Extenders in all 18 states, community mobilizers, household visits, community dialogues, focus groups and local-language messaging. From January to June 2026, the integrated feedback system recorded 143,144 feedback cases and 566 collective reports representing about 2.7 million people. Channels include WhatsApp video calls for people with hearing impairments and QR-code complaints. WASH feedback and referral systems have been documented in Kassala, River Nile, Khartoum, Northern and Gedaref. Hearing-accessible feedback is evidenced, but physical-access standards for everyday water, sanitation, open-space or public-realm infrastructure were not established in the reviewed sources. No current nationwide inventory, minimum provision standard, general access right, maintenance fee or participation procedure for urban green space was identified. Protection of vegetation, soil, watercourses and trees remains part of environmental law. Service continuity is exposed to conflict, electricity and fuel shortages, procurement and movement restrictions, and funding gaps. The 2026 WASH requirement was USD 225,444,667, with a funding gap of USD 155,238,551, or 69%, at 30 June 2026. The WASH Core Pipeline was operating in 11 states through eight hubs with USD 45 million in support.