Vehicles attempt to maneuver by means of flood water attributable to heavy rain, in Mogadishu, Saturday, Nov, 11, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP
Floods attributable to torrential rainfall have killed a minimum of 31 individuals in numerous components of Somalia, authorities mentioned on November 12.
Since October, floods have displaced practically half 1,000,000 individuals and disrupted the lives of over 1.2 million individuals, Minister of Information Daud Aweis instructed reporters within the capital Mogadishu. They have additionally prompted in depth injury to civilian infrastructure notably within the Gedo area of southern Somalia, he mentioned.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, which has given $25 million to assist mitigate the impression of flooding, warned in a press release on Thursday of “a flood event of a magnitude statistically likely only once in 100 years, with significant anticipated humanitarian impacts.”
“While all possible preparatory measures are being pursued, a flood of this magnitude can only be mitigated and not prevented,” OCHA mentioned, recommending “early warning and early action” to save lives as “large-scale displacement, increased humanitarian needs and further destruction of property remain likely.”
The lives of some 1.6 million individuals in Somalia may very well be disrupted by floods in the course of the wet season that lasts till December, with 1.5 million hectares of farmland doubtlessly being destroyed, it mentioned.
Mogadishu has been ravaged by downpours that, at occasions, swept away weak individuals, together with youngsters and the aged, and disrupted transportation.
Floods are additionally affecting neighboring Kenya, the place the demise toll stood at 15 on Monday, in line with the Kenya Red Cross. The port metropolis of Mombasa and the northeastern counties of Mandera and Wajir are the worst affected.
Source: www.thehindu.com
