Attachments
Situation Overview
- On 10 September, 40% of Maiduguri, Borno State’s capital, in northeastern Nigeria, was flooded due to a breach of the nearby Alau Dam. According to OCHA, the deaths of 37 persons, and injuries of 58 persons were reported. The numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who registered in one of some 30 camps increased to close to 400,000 people within a week. At least 18 of these camps were schools, which contributed to the government’s decision to close some of the camps within a week’s time, to enable reopening of schools in late September.
- As of 20 September, the government announced that 16 camps remained open, while the authorities distributed 25 kg of rice and a carton of pasta for a fortnight and NGN 10,000 (US$6) to those leaving camps that were closed. IDPs whose homes were not inhabitable were encouraged to seek shelter in host communities, or in one of the camps that would remain open the longest – Bakassi, Teacher’s village, and Gubio.
- After ten days, access to affected areas remains a challenge. The 3 main bridges in the city were damaged (Fori, Lagos, and Customs Bridges). Additionally, Muna IDP camp housing approximately 57,000 conflict affected IDPs, of whom 6,000 were new arrivals, was cut off by water for one week.
- During the first 10 days, no disease outbreak has been recorded in camps with flood affected IDPs. However, on 23 September, authorities confirmed 2 cases of cholera from another area in Maiduguri.
- From an early recovery perspective, 40% or 29 healthcare facilities with nutrition services in Maiduguri and Jere Local Government Areas (LGAs) have been damaged as per the Nutrition Sector. This includes 4 of 10 hospitals providing inpatient care for severely malnourished children who contracted medical complications, such as diarrhea or malaria; and 25 of 64 primary healthcare centers providing outpatient care. Also, the flooding of the Cold Store resulted in the destruction of 1.1m vaccines. Furthermore, 56 schools were flooded.
- The flooding occurred at the height of the lean season in the north, which was already exacerbated by the unprecedented socio-economic crisis country-wide as a result of the 40% food inflation rate due to spikes in fuel and therefore food prices. Nearly a quarter of children under the age of 5 years are acutely malnourished as per the August 2024 Northeast Nigeria SMART survey.