Persistent heavy rains and severe flooding have hit several countries in the Sahel, affecting millions of people and displacing hundreds of thousands, most recently in northeastern Nigeria. The extreme weather has also exacerbated existing humanitarian crises in Chad, Cameroon, Mali and Niger. Aid agencies are urgently calling for increased international support to reach the most vulnerable.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warns that communities along the Lake Chad Basin, already facing conflict and displacement due to insecurity, are now facing the added threat of climate-related disasters. The Lake Chad Basin is an area that includes parts of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.
“The situation in the Sahel and Lake Chad region is increasingly dire, as the compounding effects of conflict, displacement, and climate change take a severe toll on vulnerable populations,” said Hassane Hamadou, NRC’s Central and West Africa regional director, in a statement Monday.
“Our immediate priority is to ensure affected people across the region receive essential support such as shelter, food, and hygiene supplies. Longer-term solutions including the improvement of existing infrastructures must be coordinated with local governments to build resilience against future disasters,” Hamadou said.
As humanitarian organizations across the region work around the clock to provide temporary relief despite increasingly stretched resources, more funding is urgently needed. However, as of July 30, existing humanitarian response plans for countries in the Sahel were only 25 percent funded.
According to the United Nations, more resources and funding are crucial not only in the emergency life-saving phase, but also in the recovery phase, when people who have lost everything need sustained support to get back on their feet.
In recent weeks, countries in the Sahel have been hit by torrential rains, flash floods, river floods and other large-scale flooding events that have submerged vast areas of land, caused devastation, affected millions of people, displaced hundreds of thousands and claimed hundreds of lives.
Across the region, farmland vital to local economies and food security has been destroyed by floodwaters, threatening livelihoods and exacerbating food insecurity. The floods have also disrupted access to education, as schools have been destroyed, forced to close, or used to provide shelter for affected communities.
“These severe floods are a stark reminder of the Sahel and Lake Chad region’s vulnerability to climate change, which may only worsen in the nearby future. Fragile communities already living in crisis cannot face these challenges alone,” said Hamadou.
The countries hardest hit by the floods are Chad, with 1.5 million people affected, followed by Nigeria with more than 1 million and Niger with 840,000, followed by Mali (340,000) and Cameroon (180,000). While this is usually the wettest time of year in the Sahel, this year's rainfall has been heavier than usual, resulting in widespread devastation.
Nigeria
Persistent heavy rains and the collapse of the Alau Dam on the night of 9 September have caused severe flash flooding in northeastern Nigeria's Borno State, dramatically worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.
United Nations humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are rushing to assist scores of newly displaced people in northeastern Nigeria after torrential rains caused the major dam to burst and flood the area. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 37 people have died, 58 others have been injured, and 414,000 people have been affected across Borno State.
In Maiduguri alone, the capital of Borno State, more than 230,000 people have been affected by floodwaters after the Alau Dam collapsed. The flooding has disrupted access to health facilities, schools, markets and other critical infrastructure.
The breaching of the dam caused river water to overflow approximately 50 percent in the Maiduguri area, and state authorities issued evacuation orders for residents in the affected areas and appealed for humanitarian assistance. Two bridges in Maiduguri have partially collapsed, schools are closed, and fourteen health facilities have been flooded.
In support of government efforts, relief agencies are responding to immediate needs for food, water, health, shelter and sanitation, and are taking steps to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases. Acute watery diarrhea, malaria, cholera, other water-borne and infectious diseases, as well as malnutrition are some of the major health risks in the wake of the severe flooding.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday that it is stepping up its support to the Nigerian authorities to provide emergency health assistance following the devastation caused by the severe flooding, which has damaged key basic infrastructure and increased the risk of food insecurity and the spread of infectious diseases.
On Saturday, a high-level delegation led by the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), Mohamed Malick Fall, including heads of UN agencies in Nigeria, country directors of NGOs and the Nigerian Red Cross Society, visited Maiduguri to express continued support for the emergency operation and solidarity with the population.
“I witnessed firsthand the devastation and untold hardship caused by the flooding, including the destruction of homes, businesses, and infrastructure. I also saw the suffering of affected communities,” Fall said.
He said the widespread impact of the floods in the region requires a concerted response by the UN and partners to support the Government's efforts.
“The flood affected people are experiencing a crisis within a crisis with the floods occurring at the height of a severe food insecurity and malnutrition crisis,” he said.
The impact of the extreme weather is being felt across the country. According to the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), more than one million people across 29 states in Nigeria have been affected by floods, with 201 deaths reported in 15 of the country's 36 states and more than 550,000 hectares of farmland inundated.
The flooding comes at a time when 32 million people in the country are facing severe food insecurity. In Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states alone, 4.8 million people are acutely food insecure, with 230,000 children at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
Chad
In Chad, prolonged heavy rains have caused widespread flooding, affecting nearly 1.5 million people in all 23 provinces of the country. Families have been displaced and essential services disrupted. At least 340 people have died, more than 265,000 homes have been damaged, and more than 250,000 hectares of farmland are under water. More heavy rains are forecast, which could worsen the situation.
Niger
In Niger, this year's rainy season has been particularly devastating. Over the past three months, flooding across the country - exacerbated by climate change - has impacted more than 800,000 people, displaced more than 400,000 from their homes, washed out roads, claimed 217 lives and injured 200 others. The floods also killed about 17,000 livestock and destroyed more than 3,000 hectares of crops and 21.5 tons of food.
Cameroon
Since mid-August, heavy rains have affected the Far North region of Cameroon, bordering Chad and Nigeria, causing widespread flooding, casualties and severe damage. Torrential rains damaged or destroyed more than 12,500 homes, submerged thousands of hectares of farmland and crops, and caused the death of thousands of animals.
More than 200,000 people have been affected, including some 50,000 refugees. Local authorities and humanitarian agencies are putting emergency plans in place, but face major logistical challenges, including access difficulties and a growing risk of epidemics.
Mali
Mali is facing its worst floods in decades. The flooding has caused significant damage, killed dozens of people, displaced thousands, destroyed homes, livestock and crops, and disrupted essential services such as water, sanitation, education and health.
The Malian government has declared a national disaster. Approximately 340,000 people have been affected by the floods in all 19 regions of the country. As the lean season has pushed many communities to the brink of famine, families who rely on subsistence farming and herding to survive have lost everything. Urgent aid is needed to prevent further deterioration of livelihoods.