21st September, 2007
Severe flooding in parts of Ethiopia has left thousands of people homeless and in acute need of assistance.
One of the worst hit areas is the Afar region, where the whole of the Awash River Valley is flooded. Following exceptionally heavy rainfall this year, the Awash River broke its banks in July, and the situation was exacerbated after several large hydro-electric dams filled up and released huge amounts of water that found its way into the Awash River basin.
Despite efforts to shore up barriers, the river has overflowed extensively and even changed course in some places, affecting several villages.
45,000 people are severely affected in Buri-modaito and Gewane –where AMREF works. Twelve villages have been competely flooded, including Debel, the capital of Buri-modaitu, and Meteka in Gewane, which are totally submerged.
AMREF’s country director in Ethiopia, Dr John Nduba, said today that the district government in Afar had asked AMREF for assistance in coping with the disaster.
“About 40 per cent of the population in Afar Zone 3 has been affected, because many people live along the Awash Valley,” said Dr Nduba. “The immediate effect is the displacement of hundreds of families whose dwellings have been washed away. These people urgently need mosquito nets, blankets, utensils and food supplies, because their livestock, which are their main source of food, are either stranded or lost.”
A major cause for concern for AMREF is the destruction of water and sanitation facilities, putting the population at great risk of water-borne diseases.
Dr Nduba explained: “Shallow wells and other sources of water have been submerged in the floods, while latrines are overflowing. We must find ways of getting clean water to the people. We urgently need water treatment chemicals, containers for storing water, and means of transportation to get water to those areas that have none.”
He added: “We need to put in place surveillance systems for cholera and other water-borne diseases, which are bound to rise. We are also bracing ourselves for an upsurge in malaria after the floods subside. Most of the long-lasting treated nets that we had given out in the area have been washed away, leaving the people unprotected, particularly the vulnerable groups like pregnant women and children.
For more information and/or interviews with staff in the field contact Louise Orton in the UK on +44 (0)7939 141 764 or Betty Muriuki in Kenya on +254 20 699 3327