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NIAMEY: At least 38 people have been killed and more than 92,000 left homeless since June in disastrous floods in Niger, the United Nations have said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the deaths, up from a previous government toll of 14, followed torrential rains in August.

More than 26,000 livestock have been lost and more than 9,000 homes destroyed, the UN said, citing government figures.

Authorities and NGOs have already given out aid to more than 50,000 people, the UN added, with many of the homeless sheltering in schools and public buildings.

Despite being in the middle of the desert, Agadez in the north and Tahoua to the west are among the worst hit regions, along with Maradi in the south.

Niger is in the midst of its annual rainy season, having struggled to overcome a severe food crisis caused by drought.

One of the poorest countries on the planet, its

authorities are also struggling with 300,000 refugees and internally displaced people who have fled the Boko Haram insurgency in Niger's southeast and in neighbouring Nigeria. </s> Nearly 200 people have died in flooding caused by heavy seasonal rains across 12 states in Nigeria, the country’s main relief agency said on Thursday.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said 199 people had lost their lives after the main Niger and Benue rivers burst their banks.

A national disaster has been declared in the central states of Kogi, where the two rivers meet, and Niger, plus Delta and Anambra in the south.

NEMA said in its latest update that “large-scale flooding” since late last month “impacted 826,403 people”. Of those, 286,119 had been made homeless.

Numbers were expected to rise and more rain is expected in the coming weeks, it added.

Shelter, food, medicine and other items such as mosquito nets were “priority needs”, the report said.

The flooding has not only devastated towns and villages along the rivers but also destroyed crops and killed livestock, said the secretary-general of the Nigerian Red Cross, Abubakar Kende.

But he warned: “One of our biggest concerns following extensive floods like this is the threat of cholera and other diseases.”

Lack of sanitation, healthcare and clean water “could have deadly consequences” and add to the nearly 28,000 suspected cases of cholera reported across Nigeria since January, he said.

The United Nations last weekend said there had been more than 3,000 recorded cases of cholera and 97 deaths in the northeast Nigerian states of Borno and Yobe in the past two weeks alone.

In the wider Lake Chad region comprising Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, more than 500 people have died from the water-borne disease since the start of the year.

Northeast Nigeria has also been the epicentre of Boko Haram’s Islamist insurgency, which has left more than 27,000 people dead since 2009.

Some 1.8 million are still homeless, with many of them living in makeshift camps as a result of the conflict. </s> Nearly 200 people have died in flooding caused by heavy seasonal rains across 12 states in Nigeria.

 

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Thursday that 199 people were killed after the main Niger and Benue rivers burst their banks.

 

A national disaster was declared in several central and southern states.

The United Nations last week said there had been more than 3,000 recorded cases of cholera and 97 deaths in the northeastern Nigerian states of Borno and Yobe in the past two weeks alone.

 

NEMA said in its latest update that "large-scale flooding" since late last month made more than 286,000 people homeless.

 

Numbers were expected to rise and more rain is expected in the coming weeks, it added.

 

Shelter, food, medicine and other items such as mosquito nets were "priority needs", the report said.

Flooding has not only devastated towns and villages along the rivers but also destroyed crops and killed livestock, said Abubakar Kendehe, secretary-general of the Nigerian Red Cross.

"One of our biggest concerns following extensive floods like this is the threat of cholera and other diseases," Kendehe warned.

Lack of sanitation, healthcare and clean water "could have deadly consequences" and add to the nearly 28,000 suspected cases of cholera reported across Nigeria since January, he said.

In the wider Lake Chad region - comprising Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon - more than 500 people have died from the water-borne disease since the start of the year.

Northeast Nigeria has also been the epicentre of Boko Haram's attacks, which have killed more than 20,000 people since 2009.

Some 1.8 million are still homeless there, many living in makeshift camps as a result of the conflict. </s> Sept. 17 (UPI) -- More than 100 people have died as a result of flooding in Nigeria, after heavy rains swelled two major rivers beyond their banks, authorities said Monday.

The rain storms in the past two weeks caused the Niger and Benue Rivers to overflow, the National Emergency Management Agency said.

NEMA Director-General Mustapha Maihaja also warned that flooding could intensify.

The area was declared a national disaster and President Muhammadu Buhari announced the authorization of $8.2 million in relief aid.

Officials said thousands have been displaced and farmlands in central and southern Nigeria have been ruined. Niger state is the worst hit, with 40 deaths reported so far.

The two rivers flow horizontally across the country and merge to flow southerly to the Atlantic Ocean's Bay of Guinea. Lojoka, the city at the rivers' confluence in Kogi state, has also been hard-hit by flooding, authorities said.

The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency warned for several weeks of impending flooding that could be comparable to disastrous flooding in Nigeria in 2012, in which 363 people died and more than 2 million were displaced.

Nigeria faces nearly annual flooding, a situation blamed on inadequate local planning and poor drainage systems. </s> Nearly 200 people have died in flooding caused by heavy seasonal rains across 12 states in Nigeria, the country's main relief agency said on Thursday.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said 199 people had lost their lives after the main Niger and Benue rivers burst their banks.

A national disaster has been declared in the central states of Kogi, where the two rivers meet, and Niger, plus Delta and Anambra in the south.

NEMA said in its latest update that "large-scale flooding" since late last month "impacted 826,403 people". Of those, 286,119 had been made homeless.

Numbers were expected to rise and more rain is expected in the coming weeks, it added.

Shelter, food, medicine and other items such as mosquito nets were "priority needs", the report said.

The flooding has not only devastated towns and villages along the rivers but also destroyed crops and killed livestock, said the secretary-general of the Nigerian Red Cross, Abubakar Kende. </s> LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian authorities say the death toll from large-scale flooding in recent weeks has jumped to nearly 200 people.

The National Emergency Management Agency said Thursday the toll is up from the 100 reported last week. It says more than 1,000 other people have been injured, with more than 800,000 affected overall since late August.

The agency says those numbers are expected to rise.

A national disaster has been declared in four of Nigeria’s 36 states after heavy rains.

A similar disaster in 2012 killed 363 people and displaced over 2.1 million. The Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency and Nigerian Meteorological Agency have said water levels will be higher this time.

Some of the most badly affected areas are along the Niger River. </s> Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Lokoja, where the Niger and Benue rivers meet

Heavy seasonal rains are a regular feature of life in Nigeria and towns close to the country's main rivers are particularly vulnerable.

This year floods have killed almost 200 people with many thousands displaced.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) say these figures are likely to rise as the full impact becomes clear.

A state of emergency has been declared in four of the worst-hit states:

Niger

Kogi

Anambra

Delta

President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged $8.2m (£6.2m) for relief efforts. The NEMA has activated five local operation centres to coordinate emergency responses.

Flooding regularly wreaks havoc in Nigeria:

In 2017, floods affected 250,000 people in the eastern-central region

In 2016, 92,000 were displaced and 38 died

In 2015, more than 100,000 were displaced, with 53 deaths

In 2012, devastating flooding forced two million Nigerians from their homes and 363 died, according to authorities

"Floods have become a perennial challenge with increasing intensity each year, leaving colossal losses and trauma," the Nigerian Meteorological Agency says.

So why does Nigeria keep flooding, and is it getting worse?

Affected areas

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Flooding near Kaduna River

Nigeria hosts two of West Africa's great rivers:

the Niger which enters the country from the north-west

the Benue, which flows into Nigeria from its eastern neighbour Cameroon

These two immense waterways meet in central Nigeria and then flow south as a single river on to the Atlantic Ocean.

Much, though by no means all, of Nigeria's flooding occurs along these two rivers as their banks overflow in the rainy season.

In 2012, hundreds of thousands of acres of land were flooded in Nigeria when the Benue and Niger over-spilled.

That year, the Niger River reached a record-high level of 12.84m (42ft).

In 2018, levels reached 11.06m, with fears that the heavy rain, expected to continue through October this year, could lead it to approach similar heights.

There has also been extensive damage to farmlands, according ACAPS, a humanitarian data-analysis organisation, which is the mainstay of most livelihoods in the affected regions.

Flooding is also caused by:

the tidal movements of coastal waters, such as in the Delta region of the south-east

saturated drainage systems, such as in the country's largest city, Lagos, in the south-west

Are Nigeria's rains causing the floods?

Heavy rainfall has certainly increased the likelihood of rivers overflowing and flash floods.

And there's evidence to suggest increasing rainfall over time.

Data from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency from 1981-2017, analysing 13 affected locations, reveals a rising trend in annual rainfall, which it says is likely to be a significant factor responsible for floods.

But it's not just rain falling in Nigeria itself.

Heavy precipitation upstream on the Benue and Niger rivers - in Cameroon, Mali and the country of Niger - contributes large volumes of water to Nigeria's river system, according to Zahrah Musa at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education.

Troublesome dams

Another factor in Nigeria's flood problem is dams.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kainji dam

Nigeria's three main electricity-generating dams, at Kainji and Jebba on the Niger river and the Shiroro dam on the Kaduna River, "have become bloated" by the heavy rains and excess water has had to be released downstream over the past month, says Hussaini Ibrahim, of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA).

The uncompleted Zungeru dam, in Niger state, which is part-funded by the Chinese government, is also believed to be affecting areas once free from flooding.

On the Benue River, the main concern is the Lagdo Dam, in neighbouring Cameroon, which has previously caused the river to swell by releasing water.

In 2012, water flowing in from the Lagdo dam was blamed for 30 deaths in Nigeria.

The Cameroonian authorities have yet to allow water to pour out from Lagdo during the current rainy season - but there are concerns in Nigeria that this might happen.

Poor town planning

Nigeria's population is expanding rapidly, currently estimated at 186 million, and the lack of proper town planning can make flooding worse in urban areas.

"Town planning in Nigeria is very weak," says Aliyu Salisu Barau, of Bayero University. "These areas are affected by a lack of drainage networks."

The city of Lokoja, for example, at the meeting-point of Benue and Niger rivers, is particularly prone to flooding.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A man in a town near Lokoja, a heavily flooded area

"If you go to Lokoja, you see massive developments along the Niger River," says Mr Barau.

These developments are almost always unregulated, with people building on floodplains, reducing the surface areas for water to travel, and without constructing drainage systems.

Because of the unregulated nature of town planning, there's also limited information on how much land has been built on and therefore little assessment of the impact.

In the city of Makurdi, for example, on the Benue river, Mr Barau says, "one can see all forms of informal activities" along the river bank.

New land developments along the Niger River has more than doubled in Nassarwa and Kogi States, according to estimates.

The dumping of waste in the streets can also prevent the steady flow of water and put pressure on the few urban drainage systems.

It's also common, after the floods, for people to come back and start rebuilding in the same vulnerable areas.

Hussaini Ibrahim, of the NSEMA, also points the finger at deforestation, which he says is happening across Nigeria.

It's a resource that people use for fuel or to sell - but trees play an important role in storing rain-waters.

Future floods

If the impact of flooding is to be reduced in the future, the consequences of rapid urbanisation and poor urban planning need to be addressed.

And greater co-operation with Nigeria's neighbours in the control of river levels will need to be achieved in order to avoid dangerous surges in water levels during the periods of heavy rain.

The wider issue of the increasing rainfall levels identified by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency is one that some in Nigeria have attributed to climate change.

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Follow us on Twitter </s> The authorities in Nigeria say more than 100 people have been killed in floods across the country in the past two weeks.

The National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) says heavy rains caused the country’s two major rivers — Niger River and Benue River — to overflow.

The government is urging residents along waterways to relocate to safe places. The devastation is across Nigeria, but most have been killed in the north-central state of Niger.

The head of Nema, Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja, told the BBC more than 40 people have died in the state. Deaths have also been reported from 11 other states, he said.

Areas have been submerged, thousands of people have been left homeless and vast swathes of farmlands have been destroyed by the floods.

Rural areas are the worst hit. The Nigerian authorities say there is the possibility of more floods in the coming days as heavy rains continue.

They are considering declaring a state of emergency over the disaster to ensure a more effective response. Nigeria faces flooding almost every year. Analysts blame it on lack of proper planning, blocked waterways and poor drainage systems. —BBC </s> More than 100 people have died in floods after Nigeria's two major rivers burst their banks, authorities say.The National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) says heavy rains caused the Niger River and Benue River to overflow.It has resulted in a series of floods across the country over two weeks, with rural areas most vulnerable.The government is urging residents along waterways to relocate to safe places.Worst hit is Niger State, where more than 40 people have died, Nema director Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja told the BBC.Eleven other states have been affected - they are Kwara, Benue, Kogi, Adamawa, Taraba, Kebbi, Bayelsa, Edo, Anambra, Rivers and Delta.Nigerian authorities are considering declaring a state of emergency,Nigeria faces flooding almost every year.Analysts blame recurring flood disasters on lack of proper town planning, blocked waterways and poor drainage systems.
Flooding in Niger kills at least 38 people and leaves more than 92,000 people displaced.