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Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Almost 1,500 dead. The worst situation in decades

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The prolonged rainy season has worsened the dire flood situation in West and Central Africa this year. Nearly 1,500 deaths were reported and hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged, according to United Nations data.

While a rainy season in August and September is normal in West and Central Africa, this year's rainfall has been unusually heavy, causing many countries to experience the worst flooding in at least 30 years. In mid-September, forecasters predicted that they would end at the beginning of October, but new forecasts predict continuous rainfall until November.

According to the UN, as a result of devastating downpours and floods since October 5 alone, approximately 980,000 people have had to leave their homes in 11 countries.

Many dead, thousands of homes destroyed

Since the beginning of this year, of the 16 countries affected by floods, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Mali and Guinea have suffered the most. In countries located along the southern edge of the Sahara, more than 1,460 people have been confirmed dead, and the disaster has affected 6.6 million people, the UN reported. Over 600,000 were damaged or destroyed. houses. The effects of downpours and floods were felt by 170 health care facilities and 555 schools.

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Heavy rainfall broke dams, flooded desert cities and exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in one of the world's poorest regions, Reuters notes.

Many houses were floodedReuters

Due to floods in Mali and Niger, the start of the school year was postponed by a month. In the Nigerian city of Zinder, a 19th-century mosque collapsed. And in Agadez in the central part of the country, which is also known as the “gateway to the desert”, waters damaged the historic center.

See also: Sahara under water

“Devastation and devastation become widespread”

Floods are the most common and costly natural disaster in Africa. According to the World Meteorological Organization, economic losses from natural disasters on this continent increased by 52 percent between 2010 and 2019 compared to the previous three decades.

According to a 2021 study published in the Journal of Hydrology, the region is increasingly at risk of flooding due to negative climate change, poor urban planning and other reasons. In an article published in the Journal of Hydrology, scientists noted that “devastation and devastation are becoming more common.” A year after its publication, West and Central Africa was hit by one of the worst floods in history, affecting more than 8.5 million people in 20 countries.

Reuters, UN, tvnmeteo.pl

Main photo source: Reuters



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