Ongoing flooding in the country of Chad in north-central Africa has affected almost 250,000 people, according to a UN report.
Flooding first struck parts of the country in late June and the start of the rainy season. Five people died in south-western Tandjilé Region on 26 June. By late July flooding had affected thousands of people across the regions of Tandjilé, Mandoul, Ennedi-Ouest, N’Djamena and Batha.
In a recent report, the The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said flooding has affected 246,851 people from 41,267 families across 400 villages. Fifteen people have lost their lives and 17 are reported missing. A total of 329 people have been injured.
Tandjilé Region continues to be the worst affected. Quoting local officials, OCHA said 32,181 houses have been damaged or destroyed, leaving 160,000 people homeless. Over 30,000 people have been affected in the Region of Mandoul where 172 villages have been flooded. In Moyen-Chari Region, 27,000 people are believed to be affected by flooding in 200 villages, while 18,534 people (or 3,089 households) were affected by the flood in the Region of Logone Oriental.
Flooding has had a devastating impact on farming and livelihoods. Thousands of livestock have been lost and almost 70,000 hectares of crops damaged or destroyed, in particular sorghum, maize, peanuts, sesame, pearl millet and cotton.
OCHA said the 2021 rainy season is characterized by an uneven distribution of rains in the region. Although there are areas with high accumulations of rainfall, other areas have a very pronounced deficit of precipitation raising fears of major food and nutritional insecurity. The regions of Sila and Wadi Fira in particular are suffering from lack of rain.
