Ten people have died and nearly 120,000 displaced by flash floods caused by heavy rains across Chad last month only, the IOM has reported.
At least 32,000 of the affected persons are in the country’s capital city, N’Djamena, according to data from IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). The data also indicates that a further total of 7,122 households have been affected across seven departments of the Chadian capital.
“The flooding has exacerbated the already challenging situation for many of the most vulnerable N’djaménois, who are now seeking refuge in local school buildings after having lost not only their homes but also their livelihoods,” Anne Schaefer, IOM Chad’s Chief of Mission explained.
Built around the Chari River which flows through Central Africa and feeds 90 per cent of Lake Chad, N’Djamena is prone to flooding, particularly when the river overflows during heavy rains.
In 2010, at least 150,000 people were affected and tens of thousands of hectares of land were destroyed by flooding caused by heavy rains.
IOM is calling for a durable disaster risk reduction and humanitarian approach to provide relief to the affected populations and strengthen the capacity of local actors to prepare for and respond to potential disasters in the long term. This will include physical risk prevention and mitigation as well as community-based disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness and response.
