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OVERVIEW
Since late July 2024, Chad has been experiencing floods amid the heavy rains of the lingering rainy season (typically from May–October), affecting all 23 of the country’s provinces, 119 of 125 departments, and nearly two million people (AN 14/10/2024; VOA 21/09/2024; OCHA 18/10/2024; IFRC 2024). The current flood situation has surpassed the catastrophic floods of 2022 that lasted from the end of July to mid-September, previously classified as the worst in a decade and which affected 1.4 million people in the country (IFRC 15/10/2024; Sida 31/03/2024; OCHA 23/01/2023). Rainfall floods are most commonly recorded between July–August, when rainfall intensity is at its peak (IFRC 26/08/2024).
Recently, floods, especially those resulting from sudden bursts of heavy rainfall over short periods, have become a major concern for Chad. When an area receives a lot of rain after one or more rainfall events, poor hydraulic systems are unable to properly absorb it. At the same time, low soil permeability allows water to get into homes and infrastructure. Together, these can cause significant human and material damage (IFRC 26/08/2024).
By 18 October, there were a total of 576 related fatalities across the country (OCHA 18/10/2024).
Until 2 October, the floods destroyed approximately 218,000 homes and damaged over 342,000, affecting at least two million people (VOA 07/10/2024; UNFPA 08/10/2024). By 30 September, nearly 1.9 million hectares of cropland were submerged, and by 11 October, over 72,000 livestock had died from related causes, an indication of the severe impact of the floods on livelihoods (UN 11/10/2024; IFRC 15/10/2024; FAO 17/10/2024).
Populations affected by flooding require food, shelter, healthcare, NFIs, and WASH services (UNFPA 08/10/2024; VOA 07/10/2024; IFRC 15/10/2024; UNICEF 17/09/2024).
On 12 March, several months before the floods, six million people were reported to be in need across the country (OCHA 12/03/2024). Their needs continue to grow, with the floods necessitating extensive humanitarian aid for both affected populations and those remaining at risk (IFRC 15/10/2024).