Since the start of the rainy season, many areas of Africa’s most populous country have been swept by floods, raising concerns that food insecurity will rise and inflation will rise.
More than 600 people have died since June in Nigeria’s deadliest floods in a decade due to extraordinary rains, which have forced another 1.3 million people to flee their homes, according to the latest official tally.
Since the start of the rainy season, many areas of Africa’s most populous country have been swept by floods, raising concerns that food insecurity will rise and inflation will rise.
“Unfortunately, over 603 lives have been lost — in other words, we’ve had an extra 100 dead in a week — and another 2,400 people have been injured” in the floods, Nigeria’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said on Twitter on Sunday.
The death toll rose “astronomically” as several states in Nigeria were unprepared for rains of this magnitude, the ministry explained.
The previous official count, released last week, put the death toll at five hundred.
More than 82,000 houses and 1,100,000 hectares of agricultural crops were completely destroyed, the ministry added.
The rainy season generally starts in June in Nigeria, but floods are extremely deadly from August, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Last week, 76 people died when a boat capsized in Anambra state (southeast), in a swollen section of the Niger River.
Rainfall is expected to be heavy in the coming weeks in Nigeria, raising fears of further damage and casualties.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Omar Farooq, called on those living along waterways to evacuate their homes, especially in Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta and Rivers states, where it is estimated that there is an increased risk of overflowing rivers and tributaries.
In 2012, extremely deadly floods claimed 363 lives and displaced 2.1 million.
Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected by climate change, with many of its economies already struggling due to the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.
In Nigeria of about 215 million people, rice farmers are warning that this year’s devastating floods could push up prices as imports are banned to boost local production.
According to a joint report released in September by the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nigeria is among the six countries in the world facing an increased risk of catastrophic famine.
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
