At least 8 people have lost their lives after flooding in parts of Burkina Faso and northern Ghana, West Africa, from late August.
Ghana
In Ghana, roads, bridges, homes and farmland have been swamped in the Northern and North East Regions due to heavy rainfall and releases from the Bagre Dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso, which began in mid-August 2020.
According to SONABEL, managers of the Bagre Dam, the spillage had become necessary due to a sharp increase in the water level. Residents close to the banks of the Black and White Volta rivers in Ghana were advised to relocate.
Heavy rainfall was also reported in the areas over the last few days, and local media said 4 people have died as a result of recent flooding; two in the Bunkpurugu District, Northern Region, and one each in the West Mamprusi and East Mamprusi Municipalities in North East Region. Areas of Mamprugu Moagduri District have also been also badly affected. Several areas remain inaccessible, making damage assessments impossible.
Burkina Faso
Meanwhile in Burkina Faso, local media reported that 3 people have died in flooding in Kaya, Centre-Nord after heavy rainfall from around 04 September.
Earlier flooding affected the capital Ouagadougou after heavy rain from 30 August. Media report one person died in the district of Tanghin. Houses and property have been damaged.
Thousands Affected by Floods in West Africa
Flooding has affected several countries in West Africa in recent weeks.
Thousands and homes and wide areas of crops have been destroyed in recent flooding in the states of Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi and Sokoto, northern Nigeria. As many as 30 people are thought to have died.
Over 40 people have died in flooding in Niger, where flooding along the Niger River has inundated parts of the capital, Niamey. According to Niger’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, as of 24 August, 226,563 people from 24,259 households were affected and 19,234 houses destroyed.
In Cameroon, heavy rainfall at the end of July caused rivers to overflow in Cameroon’s Far North (Extrême-Nord) region, affecting over 5,000 people. More flooding was recently reported in the area, with over 1,500 families displaced in areas around Maroua. Flooding has destroyed homes, washed away livestock and devastated plantations. Flooding also affected the city of Douala and surrounding areas of Littoral region in the south west of Cameroon after a torrential downpour on 21 August 2020.
Mali has also seen severe flooding that began in July. By early August, more than 13,200 people, including 5,400 internally displaced persons, were affected by floods in the country. The worst affected regions are Gao, Mopti, Ségou and Sikasso. A total of 1,160 homes have been destroyed.
