The flood situation in northern Cameroon has worsened over the last 4 weeks and the number of people affected is now over 150,000 following the overflow of the Chari and Logone Rivers.
Meanwhile flooding from the same rivers has affected neighbouring areas of Chad, in particular the capital N’Djamena, where almost 100,000 people have moved from their homes to find safer locations.
Floods in the Far North Region of Cameroon, October 2022. Photo: OCHA Cameroon
Cameroon
According to a recent report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the ongoing floods in the north of the country have affected more than 150,000 people in the departments of Mayo-Danay, Logone-et-Chari and Mayo-Tsanaga.
About 18,276 houses and 27,400 hectares of crops and farmland have been destroyed and 5,886 livestock lost. More than 294 water points and 1,194 latrines have been damaged. The floods also disrupted basic social services, including schools, health facilities and markets. Flood damage to over 126 schools has interrupted the education of around 38,813 children.
Communities living close to the swollen Logone and Chari rivers are worst affected. Some have been forced to abandon their homes to regroup in safer areas, often in very precarious conditions with difficult access to drinking water, insufficient latrines and lack of food, OCHA said.
Whole neighbourhoods have been inundated in the cities of Yagoua, capital of Mayo-Danay, and Kousseri, capital of Logone-et-Chari department.
Flooding in Cameroon’s Far North Region began in mid-August 2022. As of late September around 40,000 people were affected in the departments of Mayo-Danay, Logone-et-Chari and Mayo-Tsanaga, as reported here.
The flood situation has worsened since then due to rising rivers and lakes. OCHA said, “While the rains have experienced a relative decrease since mid-September, a significant rise in the waters of the Logone and Chari rivers, as well as the Maga and Wina lakes, has been observed. This led to the breaking of the protective dykes, and the overflow of water in several localities.”
The Chari river is expected to remain high over the coming weeks, raising fears of increased flooding and subsequent damage in riverside localities in particular in Logone-et-Chari department.
Floods in Logone et Chari Department, Far North Region, Cameroon, October 2022. Photo: UNHCR / Moise Amedje