More than 700,000 people affected by floods in West and Central Africa

At least 72 people have drowned, 699 have been injured and 716,473 have been affected during the first two months of the rainy season in West and Central African countries such as Nigeria, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the UN reported on Tuesday.

Chad is the worst hit country, with 246,883 people affected by rising waters in just a few weeks, but Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Niger, Mali, the Central African Republic and Togo are also suffering the consequences of the heavy rains, according to a statement released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Some 62,000 houses have been destroyed or damaged in these countries, forcing 54,722 people to flee their homes. Nigeria and, again, Chad are the hardest hit by the floods, with 45,797 and 5,286 people respectively forced to leave their homes due to the floods.

“Every year we raise the alarm about the effects of climate change and what it means for people’s real lives: their homes, their ability to grow and eat, to send their children to school, to access basic health care,” said OCHA’s head for West and Central Africa, Charles Bernimolin, according to the statement.

He called for “significant and strategic investments to ensure that communities are prepared and that the worst impacts are mitigated in advance.”

“Thinking that we have time to address the climate crisis in West and Central Africa is a mistake,” Bernimolin urged.

Flooding, which often affects the same communities year after year, has also severely damaged livelihoods and basic social services, undermining communities’ ability to provide for themselves and forcing them to rely on aid to survive with dignity.

At least 25,726 hectares of farmland have been damaged and 4,205 heads of livestock have died, hampering food production.

Access to healthcare and basic education is also hampered, with dozens of schools and medical centres destroyed or damaged.

The 2024 rainy season forecast predicted above-average cumulative rainfall in the periods June-August and July-September in already flood-prone areas in the Sahel and some West African countries.

This situation aggravates the circumstances of a population already vulnerable due to chronic poverty, underdevelopment, conflict and political instability.

Dakar / EFE