Around 3,000 people have been affected by flooding in Niger over the last few weeks after rivers, including the Niger, overflowed.
According to a report (pdf) by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) of 21 Jan 2019, the rising Niger River has flooded 11 villages in the western Tillaberi region, affecting around 60 families. Houses and farms have been inundated.
Tillaberi is the region surrounding the the capital, Niamey, which is situated on the Niger River. As of 21 January, the Niger river in Niamey stood at “Orange Alert” level at 5.92 metres.
OCHA said “An assessment by the local authorities on 11 and 12 January found that the affected families mainly need beddings, utensils, water purification tablets, antimalaria and diarrhoea drugs. Initial assistance is being provided as humanitarian organizations mobilize to increase the response. According to the locals, memories of floods of this magnitude date back to 1967.”
Meanwhile in the eastern Diffa Region, flooding has affected around 1,400 people after a tributary of Komadougou river burst its banks.
Featured image: River Niger in Niamey, Niger, under CC BY-SA 4.0
