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]
.png) Nations of West Africa | |
| Location | Niger, Ghana |
|---|---|
| Deaths | 21+ |
| Non-fatal injuries | 26+ |
| Property damage | >US$ 2 million, 4,000 cattle dead, 200+ houses damaged or destroyed |
| Displaced | 8,000+ |
This article may be confusing or unclear to readers. (September 2024) |
Niger
editUp 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
editIn 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
editHeavy 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.
References
edit- ^ "Africa Watch – When it rains, it pours". SBM Intelligence. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Floods in mostly arid Niger kill 21 people as rainy season just gets started". AP News. 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "Niger Reports 21 Dead In Rains And Floods". Barron's. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "C/R: River Ayensu floods displace over 2000 people at Gomoa Adwawukwa, other communities". Modern Ghana. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ Emmanuel, Agbaxode (2024-05-30). "Ketu North: Maphlix Trust Farms engulfed by storms fury, causing huge losses". Ghana News Agency. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "West Africa's biggest vegetable farm destroyed by floods". DW. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ Knight, Mariya; Princewill, Nimi (2024-09-15). "More than 200 inmates escape as Nigerian prison wall collapses in floods". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ Adamu, Sani; Lawal, Shola. "'Still suffering': Many doubly displaced after floods in northeast Nigeria". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-09-20.