2024 West African floods

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2024 West African floods
West Africa countries (strict).png
Nations of West Africa
Location Niger, Ghana
Deaths21+
Non-fatal injuries26+
Property damage>US$ 2 million, 4,000 cattle dead, 200+ houses damaged or destroyed
Displaced8,000+

In 2024, heavy rainfall impacted several countries across West Africa, including Nigeria, Niger and Ghana. At least 460,000 people were displaced. [1] The rainy season in West Africa lasts from June to September, with June alone producing prolonged deadly and damaging floods. [2]

Contents

Niger

Up to 21 June 2024, 21 citizens in Niger died as a result of heavy rains causing extensive flooding primarily in the Maradi region and Niamey suburbs. Over 6,000 others were affected by the flooding. Niger's director-general of civil protection Colonel Boubacar Bak reported on national television that 13 of the deceased were victims of their houses collapsing, while eight more were victims of drowning. [2] The Maradi region in central Niger accounted for 14 of the 21 deaths. 26 people were injured and roughly 4,000 cattle were killed or lost. [3]

Ghana

In early June 2024, Over 2,000 people living in the Central region of Ghana were displaced by increased water levels of the Ayensu River due to heavy rains and diversion of the river to work on an expansion to the Kasoa-Winneba highway. Over 200 homes were submerged and three collapsed, and several acres of farmland were destroyed. [4]

In addition, the heavy rainfall caused West Africa's largest vegetable garden at Maphlix Trust Farms in Tadzewu, Ketu North Municipality, Volta Region, to flood, destroying over US$ 2 million in vegetable produce and architectural infrastructure, including 27 specialized greenhouses, fertigation tanks, and administrative buildings. "30 acres of okra, 15 acres of chili, 10 acres of sweet potato, and 55 acres of installed irrigation" were submerged or swept away by the floodwaters. In addition, "800 bags of fertilizers and farming items" were lost. [5] [6]

Nigeria

Heavy flooding in Nigeria's Borno state led to a prison wall collapse, allowing 274 inmates to escape from the Maiduguri Medium Security Custodial Centre. [7] The prison break occurred while inmates were being transferred to a safer location, with seven inmates recaptured shortly after.

The floods in northeast Nigeria left over 100,000 homes destroyed or damaged, at least 20 confirmed deaths. [8] The floods, caused by heavy rainfall and overflowing rivers, affected Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba states. The Nigerian government declared a state of emergency in the affected areas, with international organisations and local NGOs providing assistance.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borno State</span> State of Nigeria

Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered by Yobe to the west for about 421 km, Gombe to the southwest for 93 km, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon for about 426 km. Its northern border forms part of the national border with Niger for about 223 km, mostly across the Komadougou-Yobe River, and its northeastern border forms all of the national border with Chad for 85 km. It is the only Nigerian state to border up to three countries. It takes its name from the historic emirate of Borno, with the emirate's old capital of Maiduguri serving as the capital city of Borno State. The state was formed in 1976 when the former North-Eastern State was broken up. It originally included the area that is now Yobe State, which became a distinct state in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madaoua</span> Commune in Tahoua Region, Niger

Madaoua is a town and urban commune located in the Tahoua Region of Niger. It has a population of 127,254. It is seat of the Madaoua Department, forming the southwest corner of the Region, and is an Urban Commune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 West Africa floods</span> 2009 floods in 12 West African countries

The 2009 West Africa floods are a natural disaster that began in June 2009 as a consequence of exceptionally heavy seasonal rainfall in large areas of West Africa. Several rivers, including the Pendjari, Niger, Volta and Senegal rivers, broke their banks, causing destruction of houses, bridges, roads and crops. The floods are reported to have affected 940,000 people across 12 countries, including Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, Guinea, and caused the deaths of at least 193 people. In Burkina Faso, one of the most affected countries, 150,000 people fled their homes, mostly in the capital Ouagadougou where rainfall in one day was equal to 25% of normal annual rainfall for the whole country.

The 2010 Nigerien floods were floods across Niger which left over 111,000 people homeless. Niger was already suffering acute food shortages following prolonged drought in the Sahel region. As of 24 August 2010, at least 6 to 8 people had died. The Niger river was pushed to its highest levels in 80 years. The floods subsequently spread along the River Niger into Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin over the next few months. Later storms also brewed up in the CAR, Morocco and northern Algeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Nigeria floods</span> 2012 disaster in Nigeria

The 2012 Nigeria floods began in early July 2012. It killed 363 people and displaced over 2.1 million people as of 5 November 2012. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), 30 of Nigeria's 36 states were affected by the floods and the two most affected areas were Kogi and Benue States. The floods were termed as the worst in 40 years, and affected an estimated total of seven million people. The estimated damages and losses caused by the floods was N2.6 trillion.

The following lists events that happened during 2012 in Nigeria.

Heavy rains during the months of June, July and August 2016 resulted in extreme flooding of various rivers throughout Niger, particularly the Niger River, where the floods caused material damage and loss of life in Niger and other countries along the river's path.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Benue State flooding</span> Major floods in Nigeria in 2017

The 2017 Benue State flooding took place in September 2017 in Benue State, Nigeria. It displaced at least 100,000 people, and damaged more than 2,000 homes.

The 2020 East Africa floods were a natural disaster in Rwanda, Kenya, Somalia, Burundi, Ethiopia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti and Tanzania, affecting at least 700,000 people. They began when excessive rains began falling in March, leading to massive flooding and landslides. They caused more than 430 deaths, notably in Kenya and Rwanda. In the fall another round of floods hit the African Sahel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 China floods</span> Floods in China in 2021

Several floods struck China starting in June 2021, most of them caused by heavy rainfalls in different areas. According to the World Meteorological Organization, such heavy rains are frequently a result of climate change. The most notable floods were the 2021 Henan floods, which left 398 dead or missing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Niger floods</span> Flooding in Niger

In 2021, Niger has been affected by subsequent floods due to heavy rains, causing several deaths and widespread damage nationwide. Niamey is the most affected area. At least 62 people died, 60 were injured and 105,690 individuals have been affected by the floods. Most fatalities were reported in Maradi Region with 18 deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Africa floods</span> Historical Event

Throughout 2022, floods affected most of Africa, killing over 2,100 people. The worst affected country was Nigeria, with over 610 deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Nigeria floods</span> Major floods in Nigeria in 2022

The 2022 Nigeria floods affected many parts of the country. From the Federal Government Data, the floods had displaced over 1.4 million people, killed over 603 people, and injured more than 2,400 people. About 82,035 houses had been damaged, and 332,327 hectares of land had also been affected.

The Alau Dam was situated in the Alau community of Konduga local government area of Borno State in the Northeast region of Nigeria, constructed in 1984–1986. It impounds a major reservoir on the Ngadda River, one of the tributaries of the Lake Chad. In 2024, the dam collapsed, causing catastrophic flooding in Borno State and killing over 30 people, with at least 400,000 people displaced.

Events in the year 2024 in Nigeria.

In 2024, the North African country of Sudan experienced flooding caused by heavy rainfall. Flooding beginning in July caused the deaths of at least twelve people, with seven more people injured and at least 12,506 people in total affected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Nigeria floods</span> Flooding disaster in Nigeria 2024

Flooding in Nigeria has become a yearly occurrence that claims lives and destroys many properties. According to the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, following two flood-related deaths in Abuja in July 2024, the rains have persisted, causing property and business disruption in the midst of a crippling economy where rising food costs are making matters worse for Nigerians.

The Borno State flooding took place in September 2024 in Borno State, Nigeria, after the collapse of the Alau Dam on 10 September. The Maiduguri and Jere local government areas were particularly affected: according to the National Emergency Management Agency, over 70% of the residents in Maiduguri were displaced. At least 30 people died. The United Nations refugee agency in Nigeria described it as the worst to hit the city in thirty years, affecting over one million people.

References

  1. "Africa Watch – When it rains, it pours". SBM Intelligence. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Floods in mostly arid Niger kill 21 people as rainy season just gets started". AP News. 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  3. "Niger Reports 21 Dead In Rains And Floods". Barron's. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  4. "C/R: River Ayensu floods displace over 2000 people at Gomoa Adwawukwa, other communities". Modern Ghana. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  5. Emmanuel, Agbaxode (2024-05-30). "Ketu North: Maphlix Trust Farms engulfed by storms fury, causing huge losses". Ghana News Agency. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  6. "West Africa's biggest vegetable farm destroyed by floods". DW. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  7. Knight, Mariya; Princewill, Nimi (2024-09-15). "More than 200 inmates escape as Nigerian prison wall collapses in floods". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  8. Adamu, Sani; Lawal, Shola. "'Still suffering': Many doubly displaced after floods in northeast Nigeria". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-09-20.