The worst floods in three decades hit Nigeria’s Borno state, displacing thousands and raising fears of a waterborne disease outbreak. Aid agencies struggle to respond.
Nigeria’s Flood-Hit Borno State Faces Growing Health Crisis as Aid Agencies Struggle
In Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, thousands of people are struggling to access medical care as the region faces its worst floods in 30 years. Overwhelmed aid agencies are warning of an imminent outbreak of waterborne diseases like diarrhoea and malaria, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
More than 30 people have died, and about one million people have been affected, most of whom are now living in makeshift camps with limited access to food and clean water. The floods were triggered by heavy rainfall and the bursting of a dam, a disaster mirrored across parts of the Sahel region, including Cameroon, Chad, Mali, and Niger.
The situation worsened over the weekend when an additional 50,000 people were displaced in Borno as floodwaters rose. Aid organizations, like the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), are sounding the alarm. “The situation in the Sahel and Lake Chad region is increasingly dire,” said Hassane Hamadou, NRC’s Central and West Africa regional director. “Conflict, displacement, and climate change are compounding the crisis.”
In Maiduguri, Borno’s capital, residents like Bintu Amadu are struggling to get medical attention. “We have not received any aid, and our attempts to see a doctor have been unsuccessful,” Amadu said after waiting for hours with her sick child. Aid workers report that, even before the floods, people were facing high levels of malnutrition due to years of conflict with Boko Haram insurgents, which have disrupted farming and livelihoods.
Health and Environmental Risks
The flooding, which has also affected other parts of West and Central Africa, has displaced over 1.5 million people and killed at least 465 across the region in just two weeks, according to the United Nations. This has stretched humanitarian resources thin, leaving vulnerable populations at increased risk of waterborne diseases, mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria, and malnutrition-related health issues.
“We’re seeing a rise in diarrhoeal diseases, and malaria is prevalent with the growing mosquito population,” said Mathias Goemaere of Medecins Sans Frontieres. “Malnutrition weakens the immune systems of many people, making them more susceptible to these diseases.”
The Nigerian government has also issued warnings about rising water levels in the country’s largest rivers, Benue and Niger, which may cause further flooding, particularly in the oil-producing Niger Delta region in the south.
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