Severe flooding in Maiduguri has led to the tragic loss of 30 lives and displaced more than 400,000 households, causing widespread devastation and prompting urgent calls for humanitarian aid.
Officials stated on Wednesday that no less than 30 individuals have perished and an estimated 400,000 inhabitants of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria have been compelled to evacuate their residences due to the rapids caused by severe flooding.
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Ezekiel Manzo confirms that 30 people lost their lives following the overflow of a dam which destroyed thousands of houses in Borno state’s capital city.
Zubaida Umar, a colleague of Manzo at NEMA, expressed that the scenario in Maiduguri is alarming.
Approximately 40% of the entire city is now inundated by the flood, causing people to flee their residences and scatter throughout.
“We currently have 414,000 displaced individuals based on our statistics,” Umar stated. According to him, officials are concerned that this figure might increase up to one million as reported by the BBC’s Hausa language service.
According to the UN refugee agency in Nigeria, Tuesday marked the day when they reported that the flooding was at its peak level in 30 years.
“Dispersed all over the place.”
As the epicenter of a decade-long jihadist insurgency, Maiduguri acts as the central hub for addressing the humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria.
Over the weekend, a rupture of the Alau dam on Ngadda River occurred 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Maiduguri, leading to the crisis.
The subsequent rapid rise of waters impacted over 23,000 households and more than 150,000 individuals as reported by NEMA.
READ ALSO:Maiduguri Flood: Over 280 Inmates Escape from Correctional Centre (PHOTOS)
According to Umar, “Our mobile clinics equipped with medical supplies and staffed by military doctors from the hospital have also been dispatched to provide healthcare services for the displaced individuals residing in camps.”
The significance lies in the fact that the flood has also impacted the primary hospital situated in Maiduguri.
She added, “Canoes and fishermen have been made available to rescue trapped residents from flooded communities.”
“Our water trucks have been dispatched to distribute clean water as a precaution against potential outbreaks of water-borne illnesses.”
Aisha Aliyu, a resident who had made it to one of the eight camps set up by NEMA for survivors, stated that she doesn’t pray for even her enemy to go through such an experience.
There is no place to go.
Maryam Musa, another resident, expressed that she had lost contact with her relatives and had no place to go.
Not a single member of my family, no matter their age or relation to me, can be found by phone or in person. Our only hope now is for intervention from the governor’s office.
Following his visit to a displacement camp, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State revealed that the authorities had resolved to provide every household with 10,000 naira (roughly $6) and would also be disseminating both food and non-food assistance.
He added that the dam would require reconstruction and reinforcement by the authorities.
On Tuesday, the region was visited by Kashim Shettima, who is from Maiduguri and holds the position of Vice President.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed his “sympathy” to the victims affected by the calamity.
NEMA’s figures indicate that the onset of Africa’s rainy season resulted in 229 fatalities and caused more than 380,000 individuals to evacuate their homes. This occurred in the continent’s most densely populated country.
In addition, the torrential rains caused damage to at least 107,600 hectares (265,000 acres) of farmland.
