Sky News Arabia has learned from reliable sources within official circles in Port Sudan that the tender recently announced by the Khartoum State Water Authority to supply 800 tons of liquid chlorine gas to the authority was requested by military and security agencies, raising questions about military uses.
A retired engineer who worked at the Khartoum Water Authority, who requested anonymity, cast doubt on the amount of chlorine requested in the tender (800 tons) in an interview with Sky News Arabia, saying that “The Authority has consistently imported chlorine gas for water purification twice a year, every six months, and requesting the import of 800 tons at this time, when the capital is nearly empty of citizens, seems suspicious.”
The source added: “If we use the standard urban planning rate for daily per capita water consumption, it ranges between 100 and 150 liters per person per day. Assuming there are currently 5 million people living in Khartoum, total water consumption would be between 500 and 750 million liters per day, which is equivalent to 500,000 to 750,000 cubic meters per day, noting that one cubic meter of water requires 2 to 4 grams of chlorine for purification.”
He continued: “Based on this simple calculation, 750,000 cubic meters—an amount sufficient for 5 million people daily—requires 1.5 to 3 tons of chlorine daily for purification, equivalent to 90 tons monthly, and 540 tons over six months at the highest estimate, assuming the return of the capital’s residents; So why 800 tons, and where will the remaining amount go?”
Human rights advocate and lawyer Rahab Mubarak told Sky News Arabia that companies that had participated in a tender to supply chlorine to the Khartoum State Water Authority told her they were surprised—after completing all the procedural steps to bid—that the contract was awarded to the army’s defense industries complex.
Mubarak explained: “The Khartoum State Water Authority issued tenders to supply liquefied chlorine gas and polyaluminum chloride, substances used to purify drinking water, but a decision was issued to monopolize the import of chlorine gas for the benefit of the Defense Industries System, which is included on the U.S. sanctions list.”
