2024 West African floods
.png) Nations of West Africa | |
| Location | Niger, Ghana |
|---|---|
| Deaths | 21+ |
| Non-fatal injuries | 26+ |
| Property damage | >US$ 2 million, 4,000 cattle dead, 200+ houses damaged or destroyed |
| Displaced | 8,000+ |
In 2024, heavy rainfall impacted several nations across West Africa, including Niger and Ghana. The rainy season in West Africa lasts from June to September, with June alone producing prolonged deadly and damaging floods.[1]
Niger[edit]
Up to 21 June 2024, 21 citizens in Niger died as a result of heavy rains causing extensive flooding primarily in the Maradi region and Niamey suburbs. Over 6,000 others were affected by the flooding. Niger's director-general of civil protection Colonel Boubacar Bak reported on national television that 13 of the deceased were victims of their houses collapsing, while eight more were victims of drowning.[1] The Maradi region in central Niger accounted for 14 of the 21 deaths. 26 people were injured and roughly 4,000 cattle were killed or lost.[2]
Ghana[edit]
In early June 2024, Over 2,000 people living in the Central region of Ghana were displaced by increased water levels of the Ayensu River due to heavy rains and diversion of the river to work on an expansion to the Kasoa-Winneba highway. Over 200 homes were submerged and three collapsed, and several acres of farmland were destroyed.[3]
In addition, the heavy rainfall caused West Africa's largest vegetable garden at Maphlix Trust Farms in Tadzewu, Ketu North Municipality, Volta Region, to flood, destroying over US$ 2 million in vegetable produce and architectural infrastructure, including 27 specialized greenhouses, fertigation tanks, and administrative buildings. 30 acres of okra, 15 acres of chili, 10 acres of sweet potato, and 55 acres of installed irrigation were submerged or swept away by the floodwaters. Over 800 bags of fertilizers and farming items were lost.[4][5]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Floods in mostly arid Niger kill 21 people as rainy season just gets started". AP News. 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "Niger Reports 21 Dead In Rains And Floods". Barron's. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "C/R: River Ayensu floods displace over 2000 people at Gomoa Adwawukwa, other communities". Modern Ghana. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ Emmanuel, Agbaxode (2024-05-30). "Ketu North: Maphlix Trust Farms engulfed by storms fury, causing huge losses". Ghana News Agency. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "West Africa's biggest vegetable farm destroyed by floods". DW. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-21.