Image of the Day
Nothing Left in Niger
When an entire country faces collapse
Niger river, Africa’s third biggest, burst its banks in its worst recorded floods in 80 years.
“The bustling districts have now turned into ghost towns, we’ve never seen the like in living memory,” according to an elderly fisherman.
“It’s a double catastrophe: before the rain, the people lacked food, now the few reserve stocks of cereal have been washed away by the water. There’s nothing left,” a village chief said.
The entire Niger has been affected by flooding triggered by torrential rain. Image Credit AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.
“Zarmagandaye, Lamorde and Karadje are three districts of the west African country’s capital Niamey which have turned into marshland since the beginning of August.” AFP reported.
“According to Niger’s Early Warning System (SAP) and catastrophe management officials, the whole of the country, including the perenially arid desert of the northern Agadez region, has been affected by flooding caused by heavy rain.”
Up to 8 million people in Niger face severe food shortages after a serious crop failure in the 2009-2010 harvest, U.N. says.
Niger Basin Authority forecasts another major rise in the river levels between November and January, the report said.
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- 2010 Disaster Calendar [AUGUST]
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