Floods death toll in Somalia rises to 118

Death toll from recent El-Nino induced floods in Somalia has risen to 118 as water is receding in many areas that were flooded, reducing risks, the United Nations humanitarian agency said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said rains have declined in many areas of Somalia, with dry conditions observed across the country last week.

"Partners are concerned about potential outbreaks of waterborne diseases like acute watery diarrhea (AWD)/cholera as well as dengue fever and malaria," OCHA said in its latest report on the flood situation released on Sunday evening in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The number of people affected by the heavy rains and floods has reached 2.48 million, according to the Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), with 1.1 million displaced across the country.

Predictions for December indicate minimal rainfall across the country and the Ethiopian highlands, signaling the end of the seasonal Deyr rains, the UN agency said.

OCHA said humanitarian partners have scaled up assistance to meet increased needs despite logistical, access, and funding challenges, reaching at least 836,000 people with assistance since October.

The heavy rains which pounded several parts of Somalia since October have extensively destroyed roads, bridges, and airstrips while hospitals, schools, and other vital facilities have been closed in some areas and the risk of cholera has spiked, the humanitarian agencies said.

The floods came after the worst drought in four decades following five failed rainy seasons that decimated livestock and crops, pushing the country to the brink of famine.

According to humanitarian agencies, the floods are the latest in a series of extreme weather events in recent years to hit Somalia, where communities find themselves at the sharp end of the global climate crisis.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency