The collapse of the Alau dam in northern Nigeria on Tuesday 10 September has exacerbated the chronicle of flooding that has been affecting daily life in much of West and Central Africa for several weeks. The dam, located 20 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, was unable to withstand the force of the waters swollen by abnormally heavy rainfall at the end of the rainy season. Part of the city, which has about a million inhabitants, is submerged and several thousand homes have been destroyed.
Some 30 people have died in the disaster and 400,000 have been forced to flee their homes, according to a provisional count by the authorities, adding to an already high death toll in the country. As of 6 September, the United Nations had counted 200 deaths since mid-July nationwide and more than 225,000 people displaced by the floods. Borno state is at the top of the worst-affected regions.
“Schools and health centres were destroyed. Economic activity suddenly stopped. Maiduguri had never experienced an episode of this magnitude and many were taken by surprise.”“The disaster comes at a time when humanitarian needs are already far from being met in a region scarred by more than a decade of violence linked to the jihadist insurgency of Boko Haram,” said Hussaini Abdu, director of the NGO Care in Nigeria.
“50,000 people are still living in displacement camps in Maiduguri. And initial reports indicate that a comparable number could arrive due to the floods. Insecurity continues to make aid delivery inaccessible.”Mr. Abdu continues.
Rains continue to feed flooded areas
In neighbouring Chad, the situation is equally serious. The floods are affecting 1.5 million people and aggravating an already critical humanitarian situation. Since July, 340 people have died, 60,000 heads of cattle have drowned, 160,000 houses have been destroyed, 25,000 hectares of crops have been submerged, jeopardising future harvests…
“According to initial assessments, nearly $100 million would be needed. [quelque 91 millions d’euros] to bring relief to populations, many of whom have lost everything. So far, only 10% of the amount has been mobilized”“The country’s humanitarian needs, particularly to cope with the hosting of 600,000 refugees from Darfur in the east or with the consequences of the continuing security crisis around Lake Chad, will amount to more than $1 billion in 2024,” says Gustave Gagny, head of the Action Against Hunger (ACF) office in Chad. “So far, only a third of this has been met.”
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