Severe flooding in northeastern Nigeria has resulted in 30 deaths and affected over a million people, authorities reported on Wednesday.
The disaster was triggered by the collapse of a major dam in Borno State on Tuesday, marking some of the worst flooding the region has seen since a similar incident 30 years ago. The dam had reached full capacity due to unusually heavy rainfall. Many residents have been forced to evacuate their homes.
This latest flood comes nearly two years after Nigeria experienced its worst flooding in a decade, which claimed more than 600 lives nationwide.
According to state police spokesperson Nahum Daso, about 15% of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, is submerged. Ezekiel Manzo, spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the death toll of 30 on Wednesday.
An aide to the Borno governor stated that approximately one million people have been affected so far, with that number potentially rising to up to two million as efforts to account for displaced individuals continue. This surge in displacement coincides with some of the worst flooding West Africa has seen in decades, with over 2.3 million people affected across the region this year, a threefold increase from last year, according to the UN.
A new report reveals that African nations are losing up to 5% of their GDP annually due to the impact of climate change, which has intensified in one of the continent’s hottest years on record. The World Meteorological Organization notes that many African countries are allocating up to 9% of their budgets to climate adaptation efforts.
The governor’s aide emphasized that rescue operations are ongoing and that displaced people are currently seeking refuge at a former refugee camp outside the flooded areas.