Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
01 October 2024 | 16:08 CAT

An aerial view shows houses submerged under water in Maiduguri on September 10, 2024. © Audu Marte, AFP

The collapse of a dam in northeast Nigeria has triggered a dire situation in the city of Maiduguri, with at least 30 lives lost and a staggering 400-thousand people forced to flee their homes due to heavy flooding.

The flood has engulfed nearly 40 percent of the city, uprooted families and scattering them across the region. Even the main hospital in Maiduguri has not been spared from the devastating impact of the flood.

“Houses are being submerged into the flood while others have been destroyed. People have been out of their homes and to some locations in the town of Maiduguri,” Paul Daudi, MSF Project Coordinator in Maiduguri, told Radio Islam International.

The UN refugee agency in Nigeria said on Tuesday that the flooding was the worst to hit the city in 30 years.

Due to this crisis, there is a looming threat of a surge in malnutrition levels in the area. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) urgently calls for additional support—especially for water, sanitation, and medical care—to protect people already heavily impacted by long-term insecurity and unprecedented levels of malnutrition.

Last week, MSF teams visited several displacement sites (Galtimari, Yerwa, Ali Sheriff, Vocational Enterprise Institute, and Teachers Village) to assess people’s needs and provide essential services. Our teams are improving water access through water trucking and tanks, supporting sanitation by installing and repairing latrines, and distributing mosquito nets. Teams also provide outpatient consultations in the sites, including for mental health, and refer critical patients to the facilities we support.

Given the risks posed by malaria and cholera, MSF plans to expand the pediatric facility we support by 100 beds.

The Borno state government has announced that most displacement sites will be closed and merged in the coming days. However, three main sites will remain open to accommodate people with no place to stay because of an upcoming mass cholera vaccination campaign.

You can listen to the full interview on The Daily Round Up with Muallimah Annisa Essack and Paul Daudi, MSF Project Coordinator in Maiduguri, here.