At least 3 people have lost their lives after heavy rain and flooding in Conakry, capital of Guinea in West Africa. Meanwhile flooding in areas of the eastern Kankan Region has destroyed homes, crops and livestock.
According to the United Nations, severe floods ravaged Conakry on 17 September, killing three people – including two by electrocution – and affecting 2,576 people, including 137 children. The National Agency for the Management of Emergencies and Humanitarian Disasters is carrying out damage assessments.
The Ministry of Territorial Administration announced they will take measures to address the “anarchic and cumbersome constructions which are obstructing water passages”. Buildings and waste blocking water courses and drainage channels were blamed for severe flooding that struck the city in 2019 when 5 people lost their lives.
Floods in Kankan Region
Heavy rains have been affecting the country since late August in particular in areas of the eastern Kankan Region. According to International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) over 29,000 people were affected, 2 people were injured and were evacuated to the hospital. A total of 93 houses were destroyed and 335 people displaced and moved to shelters in schools, youth centres or with host families.
Many of those affected are in areas of the city of Kankan. Outside the city areas affected include Madina, Bate-Nafadji, Balandou, Kanfamoriyah and Missamana.
IFRC also reported 320 water points and 375 latrines were destroyed. Additionally, 3,928 of the most affected population are children under the ages of 5 years, 873 pregnant women, 1,732 breastfeeding women, 87 persons with disabilities and 649 elderly persons.
Several cases of diarrhoea have been reported, which can indicate a deterioration of the health situation due to floods, IFRC said.
Flooding has also impacted agriculture and livestock including 2,460 hectares of agricultural land flooded and 873 livestock destroyed or missing.
