Hiran region appeals for help after flooding

Homes are submerged under water after the Shabelle River burst its banks in Beledweyne on November 5, 2014. [AU/UN IST / Photo Ahmed Qeys]

By Shukri Mohamed
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

MOGADISHU — More than 8,000 families who were displaced when the Shabelle River overflowed its banks mid-October are still in urgent need of assistance, Hiran region officials told Sabahi.

Many people who live in and around towns along the river -- in Beledweyne, Bulo Burde and Jalalaqsi in particular -- lost their homes and this year's crop yield in the flood, said Hiran Governor Abdifatah Hassan Afrah, noting that floodwater is still standing in some areas.

Flooding has been a regular occurrence along the Shabelle River, one of two rivers that pass through Somalia, and has caused massive problems for residents in Hiran.

"Even though many villages suffered damage, most of the damage occurred in Beledweyne and the surrounding areas," Afrah told Sabahi.

"Most of the houses that flooded in Beledweyne were destroyed since they were huts inhabited by poor people," he said. "The toilets were all destroyed and the sewers broke. The farmland that would have produced this year's crops was also destroyed."

Floodwater has destroyed 230 square kilometres of farmland in the region and ruined drinking water wells in Beledweyne, he said.

Additionally, Afrah said, mosquitos breed in the standing water, which has exacerbated the spread of diseases such as malaria.

Fadumo Osman, 42, said the floods had destroyed her house in the Hawo Tako neighbourhood, forcing her to move to El Jale on the outskirts of Beledweyne.

"This is the strongest flood we have seen since 2001," she told Sabahi. "All the people who lived in my neighbourhood were displaced and the water destroyed most of the houses."

"The people who lived in this neighbourhood were mostly poor. They do not have [money] to support their lives, let alone rebuild their houses," she said, adding that living conditions are very difficult in the areas where the displaced have sought refuge as well.

Area residents need more help
With the exception of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), which has delivered water to the displaced people, international agencies have yet to deliver aid, said Alla Magan Camp director Issa Omar Farah.

The lives of the 3,500 camp residents in El Jale have become very difficult since the floods began in mid-October, he said.

"So far, no one has responded to our appeals to secure shelter and food for the people," he told Sabahi, appealing to the United Nations and international aid organisations to deliver medicine and food aid as a matter of urgency.

Governor Afrah said the Somali federal government also has not delivered any aid to the displaced people of Hiran region.

"The first aid was delivered by the regional administration," he said, adding that they provided mosquito nets, tarpaulins, blankets and cooking utensils to 700 families.

In addition, the African Union Mission in Somalia provided some medical aid and helped the regional administration set up a health centre.

"However, the aid that has been delivered to the displaced people so far is not enough," he said. "They have not received any food."

Even though the flood water has started to recede, Afrah said, returning to the area will be difficult as some residents' homes will need extensive repairs.

"Large puddles and holes are formed when the water recedes. Therefore, generators have to be brought in to remove that water," he said. In addition, he said, affected areas will have to be sprayed with insecticides so that waterborne insects that can spread infectious diseases are killed.

The people also will need assistance with transportation back to their homes, he said.

Due to the severity of the flood damage and logistical difficulties, there is very little the local government can do to provide these types of assistance, Afrah added, noting that relief agencies will need to step in.

Officials from the Somali Ministry of Interior and Federalism did not respond to Sabahi's request for information about the federal government's response to the floods.

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