The climatic situation is catastrophic in Nigeria. More than 600 people have died since June in the deadliest floods of the decade caused by exceptional rains, forcing 1.3 million inhabitants to flee their homes, according to a new report from the authorities.
Since the start of the rainy season, many parts of Africa’s most populous country have been ravaged by floods, raising fears of worsening food insecurity and inflation. “Unfortunately, more than 603 lives have been lost”, or 100 more deaths in a week, and 2,400 other people have been injured in the floods, the Nigerian Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said on Sunday on Twitter.
Very deadly floods since August
The death toll has risen “astronomically” as many states in Nigeria failed to prepare for such heavy rains, the ministry said. The authorities’ previous toll published last week reported 500 dead. Over 82,000 homes and 110,000 hectares of farmland were also completely destroyed.
The rainy season usually starts in June, but floods have been particularly deadly since August, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema). Last week, 76 people died in a boat accident in the state of Anambra (southeast), when the flood of the Niger River caused its sinking.
Rice prices expected to rise
Heavy rains are again expected in Nigeria in the coming weeks, raising fears of more damage. Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq therefore called for the evacuation of people living along the rivers, especially in the states of Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta and Rivers, facing a high risk of rising. waters.
Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected by climate change and many of its economies are grappling with the repercussions of the war between Russia and Ukraine. In Nigeria, a country of some 215 million people, rice farmers have warned that devastating floods this year could drive up prices, as rice imports are banned to boost local production.
According to a joint report published in September by the World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Nigeria is already among the six countries in the world facing high levels of catastrophic starvation.