Mali’s government on Friday declared a state of national disaster after floods that have left 30 dead and 47,374 affected since the start of the rainy season in June during an emergency cabinet meeting.

After the rainy season began until Thursday 22 August, 122 floods were recorded in 17 governorates and the capital Bamako. 7,077 households were affected, the affected reach a total of 47,374, according to a government announcement.

Authorities report 30 deaths, including 12 in Segou, 6 in Gao, 5 in Bamako and 3 in Kutiala, as well as 104 injured.

In the Bamako area, 563 households, or 4,639 people, were affected. The hardest hit region is Gao (North), with a total of 9,936 affected.

Apart from Mali, other Sahel countries also suffered extensive flooding. In neighboring Niger, the authorities speak of 217 dead, 200 injured and over 350,000 affected. In Chad, authorities report dozens of dead and thousands affected.

The cabinet adopted a prevention and relief plan for those affected. It includes measures such as information-awareness campaign of the population on the risk of floods, official ban on the use of areas at risk of flooding for the construction of houses, the maintenance of water reservoirs, drainage systems, etc.

Furthermore, the military junta in power in Mali has announced that it will allocate 4 billion CFA francs to deal with the consequences of the floods, strengthen national food reserves to guarantee nutritional security, as well as help affected households.