Chad is on edge as heavy rains continue to swell the Chari and Logone rivers, raising fears of further devastation following deadly floods that have already claimed the lives of 503 people. The prime minister, Allamaye Halina, reported that the Chari River has risen by an alarming eight meters (26 feet) in the past ten days. N’Djamena, the country’s capital, sits at the confluence of these rivers, making it particularly vulnerable to flooding.
The severe flooding, which began in July, has already affected a staggering 1.7 million people across Chad. The disaster has left 164,000 homes destroyed, 250,000 hectares of farmland submerged, and 60,000 livestock dead. No province in Chad has been spared from the devastating impact of the floods.
The United Nations had issued a warning in early September about the severe flooding in the region, particularly in Chad, urging for immediate action and funding to address the effects of climate change. The heavy rains have tragically claimed the lives of over 1,500 people across Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The scale of the tragedy underscores the urgent need for international support and long-term solutions to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change in the region.
