Flood In Niger Republic Takes Grave Toll On Communities Bordering Nigeria

A total of  35 persons were killed and 51 others injured by flood following weeks of heavy rains around the coastal areas of the Niger Republic in the last two months, officials have said. 

Significant impacts of the flood were recorded around Maradi and Zinder, regions which share borders with states in Northwest Nigeria.  

Niger Republic’s Minister of Humanitarian Action and Disaster Management, Laouan Magagi, who disclosed this as the West African country commemorated this year’s International Humanitarian Day, said the floods had affected at least 76,000 people since July 2022. 

The minister said the heavy downpour recorded since the beginning of July also led to the collapse of 8,215 houses as of Aug. 17.

It was reported that heavy rainfall that came with violent storms had caused houses to collapse in certain districts of Niamey, the capital of the Niger Republic, on the night of Friday, Aug. 19.

Magagi said the most affected region is Zinder, where weeks of flooding had affected 37,392 people — representing “more than half of the cases” in the country. 

“Next comes the Diffa region (12,917 victims); Tillabéri (10,646 victims); and Maradi (7,853 victims),” the minister said. 

Officials said the region of Zinder is most affected by the flood because rainfall of more than 200 mm has been consistently recorded “in a single day in one locality.”

That rain situation has caused phenomenal devastation — “a first of its kind” that led to the collapse of 4,582 houses. 

The minister also said that the flood in the records or the “national flood toll” had killed 482 cattle. 

The devastation caused by the flooding in this year’s rainy season tops issues discussed during the commemoration of the 19th edition of International Humanitarian Day in Niger, as the government and its partners mobilise “to provide the necessary multisectoral assistance to those affected”.

The government said it would commence “the  implementation of a three-year contingency plan that will be reviewed on an annual basis.”  

The minister said the government’s immediate response will focus on addressing the food challenge faced by the survivors. 

“The government will continue to assist the populations through targeted free distributions, sales operations at moderate prices and social safety nets,” he said. 

“To overcome these challenges and mitigate their impact on populations, we must continue our partnership in the framework of the implementation of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to achieve medium and long-term solutions”, said the Minister.  

For many years, flooding has continued to plague many parts of Niger. Niamey and many parts of Niger witnessed flooding that killed at least 45 people this week and displaced more than 226,000 people from their homes.

Many parts of Niger usually witness such kind of flooding annually when torrential downpour causes the Niger River to overflow its bank.