30 People are Known to Have Died, One-million Affected in Maiduguri Floods
The death toll is likely to rise, authorities say, as they are still scrambling to rescue thousands. Reports coming out of the disaster areas, indicate that one million people are affected, of which about 200,000 are displaced.
Thousands of people are still trapped in buildings and on trees in flood-affected areas, with people finding it hard to exit their homes. Canoes, which are not readily available in most places, were often used in the face of danger, complimenting authorities who are also using boats for rescue operations.
Crowds of people also packed onto huge military trucks that were deployed for a rescue operation on Wednesday.
Damaged septic tanks and flooded graveyards are also spurring fears of a rapid spread of infectious diseases, even as officials scramble to find shelter for those affected.
In one location, the head of the rescue operation – a local volunteer group – told newsmen they were able as of yesterday to save 200 people who were stranded in their own homes. Some were on treetops, some were on rooftops, some were clinging virtually to anything they could lay their hands on.
In many places, water levels have not receded. Although authorities are now helping with search and rescue, initially survivors were forced to wait for hours and were mostly helped by volunteers with minimal resources.
Floods are not uncommon in northern Nigeria. However, experts say Maiduguri is seeing its worst flood in 30 years.
The affected region is the heart of a 15-year armed rebellion led by Boko Haram that has already seen millions of displaced people living in camps, making them particularly vulnerable. Maiduguri also serves as a hub for humanitarian operations.
Authorities say the floods were caused by the flow of excessive rainwater amid the rainy season, which lasts from June to September in the West African country.
The Alau Dam, located in the Konduga community just a few kilometres outside Maiduguri, burst its banks on Monday after being overwhelmed by the heavy rainfall.
The dam was built in 1986 to help farmers in Maiduguri with irrigation. In many instances, it also helps control flooding from the Ngadda River, which on occasion gets higher-than-normal inflows from water sources that trace back to the massive Lake Chad.
In 1994, heavy rains caused Alau to break, inundating Maiduguri and its surrounding areas. In 2012, the dam broke and flooded communities nearby. The number of those affected in 1994 remains unclear, while a government report said multiple flood events across several states in 2012 killed 363 people and displaced 3.8 million.
Meanwhile, leading hospitals in the state, including the 1,305-bed University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital – the largest in northeast Nigeria, are also flooded.
The hospital can still conduct emergency operations on the upper levels, but it has no electricity and has been forced to suspend admissions, Ahidjo added, as the sewage system has burst open and could infect patients.
Another concern is wild animals swimming in the floodwaters. Officials said the flood either killed or washed away 80 percent of the animals in the Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo in Maiduguri.
In a statement, the zoo authorities confirmed that dangerous animals had escaped, and urged residents to be careful. “Some deadly animals have been washed away into our communities, like crocodiles and snakes,” the statement read.
It is unclear how many animals were there in the zoo. It housed a wide array of wildlife, including endangered elephants and lions, as well as, hyenas, crocodiles, and snakes.
Many in Borno State, and much of northern Nigeria, were already in the throes of a punishing food emergency, amid high inflation. Malnutrition cases have surged in the region as the lean season ends, with 4.4 million people lacking food, according to the World Food Programme.
The ongoing war waged by Boko Haram also means hundreds of thousands of people live in tents in camps meant for internally displaced people (IDPs) across Maiduguri and depend on food from aid organisations.
Adding to their woes, farmers in the food-producing country have been targeted by armed groups and killed on their farms in recent years. Experts have attributed the food crisis in the region partly to reduced local cultivation.
While the Borno government has distributed money to those affected by the flood to buy food this week, there is hardly anything to buy as markets have flooded too.