Floods wreak havoc in West and Central Africa
As the West and Central Africa region reached the tail end of its rainy season, significant damage continued to occur due to flooding, with notable impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, as well as basic infrastructure, hampering access to services and humanitarian aid. Flooding also carries severe consequences for communities’ sanitation, hygiene and health.
In September and October, approximately 299,000 people were affected by flooding across 10 countries, with Niger and Benin most heavily impacted. Close to 12,000 people in five countries were newly displaced due to flooding in the past two months, bringing the total number of countries facing flood-related displacement in 2023 to nine. In addition, in the reporting period, 381 people were reported to have lost their lives due to either drowning or the collapse of their dwelling.
As more than 7,000 hectares of croplands are reported to have been destroyed, along with 99 schools and two health facilities in in September and October alone, and the mid- to long-term effects of flooding on food security, education and public health are likely to heavily hamper communities’ ability to recover. Since the beginning of 2023, flooding has affected the lives of 880,000 people in the region, further exacerbating existing vulnerabilities of families affected by conflict, chronic poverty and the impacts of climate change.
As humanitarian partners are working to respond to the most pressing needs, preparedness initiatives must be implemented urgently across the affected areas to avoid preventable loss of life, and safeguard the resilience of flood-vulnerable communities.
Source: Reliefweb