Chad – Floods Hit N’Djamena Again

by in Africa, News

More flooding has once again struck in the city of N’Djamena, capital of the central African country, Chad. Meanwhile 60 schools remain closed after severe flooding in neighbouring Far North Region of Cameroon, disrupting the education of 18,000 students.

Chad

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA) reported on 05 November 2020 that “several neighborhoods in the capital N’Djamena have been flooded after the dam supporting the lower basin of the Chari River gave way in two places. A census of affected people is ongoing, and an inter-agency mission has been deployed to the flooded area to assess the situation and response needs. A Government-led first response has been initiated and the most vulnerable households have received food kits, tarpaulins and mats.”

The recent flooding began around 30 October 2020. Local media said that the worst hit areas are in the 9th district between the Logone and Chari Rivers.

Mayor of N’Djamena, Oumar Boukar said whenever the city of N’Djamena sees high rainfall, we see recurring flooding phenomena. Flooding first struck in the city on 20 August when 10 people died and 32,000 were displaced.

Floods in N’Djamena, Chad, August 2020. Photo: IOM

Cameroon

Flooding in neighbouring the Far North region in Cameroon has been ongoing since 20 August a result of the overflowing Logone river. At least 5 people had died and thousands left homeless by mid-September.

UN OCHA reported on 05 November that 60 schools in the Far North region had to close due to floods, keeping up to 18,000 students out of school.

OCHA added, “By the end of October, 22 schools had been relocated to other villages, and 22 remain closed. The floods combined with growing insecurity also forced thousands of people to leave their homes. Response capacity remains limited, and UNICEF has issued an appeal for an additional US$1,250,000 to increase multisector response capacity. According to the Cameroon Red Cross, 160,000 people have been affected by floods in the region.”

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