The provisional record of the floods recorded following torrential rains which struck these days resulted in 23 deaths. This is what the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in Niamey on Wednesday, July 19.
The UN agency, quoting the government, said in a report that “19,459 people were affected by the floods by July 10. A total of 2,405 households have been identified and the number of people who died is 23 for the whole country”.
In the Tahoua region, there were loss of life, loss of animals and damage to homes, crops and community infrastructure. The departments of Tchintabaraden and Abalak were particularly affected with nearly 4,000 heads of cattle carried away by the waters, according to OCHA.
“Many corpses of animals litter the ponds which serve as a mixed source of water supply for the inhabitants and the animals; raising fears of diseases with epidemic potential,” the UN agency said.
According to the multi-hazard contingency plan, 157,000 people are at risk of flooding in 2017 in Niger. The most exposed localities are located in the of Tillabéry, Tahoua and Niamey regions.
Sahelien.com