Floods Left 16,000 Homeless and Helpless
Abdulkarim Mohamed Jimale, islamonline.net, November 17, 2009
Nearly 20 years of bloodshed and anarchy, the people of war-torn Somalia particularly the restive capital Mogadishu have witnessed serious atrocities against human rights. Since May 2009, there has been a massive exodus from Mogadishu after Somali powerful insurgent groups joined forces and launched major offences against the fragile UN-backed Somali government. Tens of thousands of residents who fled the fighting became internal displaced people at the outskirt of the capital and the other main cities of the country. However, the misery did not end there!
From Droughts to Floods
After consecutive years of serious droughts that have left Somalis desperate, heavy torrential rains triggered flash floods, forcing approximately 16,000 of internally displaced people, pastoralists and farmers to leave their homes around Mogadishu, South, North and Central Somalia. The worst affected were those living around the rivers Shabelle and Jubba. Thousands of people living near the rivers of Jubba and Shabelle were forced to look for higher grounds after the rivers burst their banks. Thousands of livestock were killed, crops destroyed, and makeshift homes washed away by floods after the river banks burst.
The Flood Information Group estimated that at least 16,000 people have been displaced by flooding in Hiraan, Gedo and Lower Shabelle regions. The floods have damaged river embankments, demolished latrines and contaminated shallow wells. Many of the displaced populations so far have been able to get accommodations from their relatives. Latest figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, indicate that Some 3.6 million people inside Somalia are relying on emergency food aid.
Hopeless and Homeless
Residents of Jowhar, the capital of Lower Shabelle region about 90 km north of Somali capital Mogadishu, have been forced to seek shelter elsewhere after their homes were submerged by flash floods. Hamdi Mohamed, 32, a mother of three, said:
“Floods washed away everything that was valuable. There is just my husband, our three children, and me now. Neighbours were not spared either. They we all left without anything - utensils and everything are gone. No one can help the other,” she said.
She added that she was lucky to get accommodation from her relatives, but later rented a room for her family.
Jama Nur is another Jowhar resident who told IOL about an old man was narrowly survived when his bedding was submerged in the middle of the night, and he was fortunately rescued by his relative. Nur also claims to have taken part in rescuing children and women who were being washed away by the flash floods.
“A father lost both his children, and he doesn’t know whether they were washed away by the floods or lost. He only hopes to find them alive.”
After two years of poor harvests, farmers were expecting to have a good harvest, but they are now facing worst of their problems. Floods have also caused devastation to hundreds of farm canals, cutting off the irrigation in the town, which is famous for its farm produce.
Heavy rains have washed away makeshifts in Damayo IDP camp, in Galgadud region about 500 km north of the capital Somalia. The camp practically lacked everything; sanitation, medical facilities, clean water, sufficient food and shelter. Trees are the only shelter from the heavy down pour.
Hawo Osman Ahmed, a former pastoralist, now one of the IDP’s in Damayo Camp told IOL about the situation.
“Three days of heavy down pour rendered us homeless. Even the squashy makeshifts have been washed away by the floods. Some of us we only left with the mercy of our better colleagues who had makeshifts still standing.”
Before joining dozens of her villagers in Damayo camp, Hawo had several herds of livestock but lost all of them to the drought.
“We were pastoralists before, but droughts killed all of our livestock. We came to Damayo Camp to save our lives, but now the situation is worse than before. Floods have taken what property we had.”
Aid Groups Warned
The United Nations warned on Tuesday 10th November, that money was running short to provide crucial relief aid to war-torn Somalia, as floods forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in the south.
‘Abdi Ibrahim Jama, information officer for the World Food Program me,WFP, in Somalia said the World Food Agency is assessing the situation in terms of the number of villages and people affected by the floods do that they can be provided with the necessary assistance.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned that medical conditions are also worrisome, with outbreaks of acute watery diarrhea, cholera, measles and respiratory infections. Hundreds of thousands more Somalis are on the brink of leaving their country, where floods have aggravated already desperate humanitarian conditions.