Nigeria Situation Report, 7 Oct 2024

Highlights

• Relief and recovery efforts continue amid ongoing assessments in Borno State as flood-affected people return home where possible.
• Cholera outbreak declared in Borno on 4 October; outbreaks declared in Yobe and Adamawa on 26 and 21 September, respectively.
• Floods heighten malnutrition crisis in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states.
• UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) releases additional US$ 5 million to scale up flood response in Bauchi, Borno and Sokoto states.
• States on high alert for flooding as rivers Niger and Benue at Lokoja in Koji State and Makurdi in Benue State, respectively, reach alarming red alert levels.

Situation Overview

Flood relief and recovery efforts continue in Borno State as affected people return home

Almost four weeks after the collapse of the Alau Dam and subsequent flash floods in Borno State, flood waters have receded in the worst-hit Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Jere local government areas (LGAs) offering some respite to affected people. Many are returning to their homes and to host communities, while those whose homes remain submerged are being relocated to larger, more centralized temporary sites within the State. The reduction and consolidation of temporary relocation sites is ongoing to better manage the situation and to ensure the return of public facilities such as schools to their intended purpose. Several schools in Borno had been repurposed to accommodate flood-affected people.

Humanitarian needs, however, remain critical despite the significant reduction in the number of displaced people living in emergency shelters, from a peak of 400,000 people at the height of flooding to about 50,000 registered individuals as of 4 October, according to the Borno State Government (BSG) Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). An additional 700,000 people also sought shelter with relatives during the flood emergency, according to authorities.

In addition to population displacement, there are pressing public health concerns. Besides food, urgent needs at the temporary relocation sites, which are overcrowded and unsanitary, include access to clean water and latrines and emergency healthcare amid the declaration of a cholera outbreak. Protection services are also required for vulnerable groups such as women and girls, unaccompanied children, people living with disabilities and older persons.

Priorities for immediate intervention among flood-affected communities in MMC, Jere, Konduga and Mafa LGAs include water and sanitation hygiene (WASH) items as well as sanitation facilities to restore dignity and safeguard health, borehole rehabilitation, disinfection, and other water supply measures.

On 4 October, the Borno Secretary of State Government (SSG), Alhaji Bukar Tijjani, who is also the head of the newly established Expanded Flood Relief Committee convened a coordination forum on flood response with humanitarian partners.

The SSG presented a report ‘The Impact of Protracted Insurgency and Recent Devastating Flood Disaster in Borno State, which indicated that 85,000 homes were damaged in 19 wards in the Greater Maiduguri area [MMC, Jere and Konduga LGAs] based on BSG assessments. Ongoing coordinated assessments with humanitarian partners will further inform humanitarian and development partners’ planning and programming in both temporary sites and affected wards.

According to the report, local businesses, particularly those dependent on agriculture, livestock and trade have been hit hard, with recovery at a slow pace amid a deepening food security and nutrition crisis and a public health emergency. Sustained assistance is critical to save lives, restore livelihoods and to rebuild vital infrastructure.

While the flood waters have receded in MMC and Jere, flooding continues to affect other parts of Borno State.

In Dikwa LGA, over 27,000 people, many of whom have lived in protracted displacement, were displaced once again due to torrential rainfall, windstorms, and overflow from the Alau Dam and the Yadzaram River starting on 13 September. Initial flooding affected 12 internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, with five completely submerged, and impacted three host communities. A second wave of flooding submerged the primary road linking Dikwa to Maiduguri, disrupting the supply chain and limiting humanitarian access to the area. Access to health facilities and stabilization centres treating children suffering from life-threatening Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) with medical complications, which are facing an acute shortage of essential medical supplies such as ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), was also disrupted. On 27 September, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordinated with the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to airlift 700 cartons of RUTF from INTERSOS, the Borno State Primary Health Care Development Board (BSPHCDB) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and 200 litres of water to address the emergency.

In support of the BSG, UN agencies and partners including national and international organizations are delivering urgent assistance in affected areas. This includes food, non-food items (NFIs), clean water, sanitation and hygiene support, and emergency health care services incorporating sexual and reproductive health services. Other support includes multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA), cholera vaccination, protection services for gender-based violence (GBV) as well as family tracing and reunification.

As the flood response in some areas in Borno progresses into the early recovery phase, efforts will focus on the restoration of basic services, in particular schools, primary health care, clean water and sanitation facilities, and other critical infrastructure including roads and bridges, as well as shelter solutions and the promotion of agricultural and other livelihoods.