Floods caused by heavy rains have killed at least 31 people in several parts of Somalia, authorities say.
Since October, floods have displaced nearly half a million people and disrupted the lives of more than 1.2 million, Information Minister Daud Aweis told reporters in the capital Mogadishu on Sunday.
They have also caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, particularly in the Gedo region of southern Somalia, he said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, which has provided $25 million to help alleviate the impact of flooding, warned in a statement on Thursday of a flood on a scale that is statistically likely to occur only once every 100 years will occur, with significant expected consequences. humanitarian consequences.
While all possible preparatory measures are being pursued, a flood of this magnitude can only be mitigated and not prevented, OCHA said, recommending early warning and early action to save lives as “large-scale displacement, increased humanitarian needs and further destruction of property ‘. probably stay.
The lives of about 1.6 million people in Somalia could be disrupted by flooding during the rainy season that lasts until December, potentially destroying 1.5 million hectares of agricultural land, the report said.
Mogadishu has been battered by downpours that have sometimes swept away vulnerable people, including children and the elderly, and disrupted transport.
Floods are also affecting neighboring Kenya, where the death toll stood at 15 on Monday, according to the Kenyan Red Cross. The port city of Mombasa and the northeastern provinces of Mandera and Wajir are the hardest hit.
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