An estimated 30,000 people have been affected by floods in and around southern Chad’s town of Sarh. They have lost essential domestic goods or their health has been affected. An estimated 10,000 of them have also lost their home and are highly vulnerable. Three people, caught under their collapsing homes, have been reported dead, and eight seriously injured.
"We are working closely with the Government, to bring life-saving assistance to those in need as soon as possible", stated Kingsley Amaning, Humanitarian Coordinator in the landlocked African nation.
Torrential rains have been hitting Sarh since late July, and have continued up to the present time. The most immediate needs included shelter, non-food items (NFIs), water purification materials, health supplies, and nutritional supplements. "We had contingency mechanisms in place to respond to this kind of eventuality, and they are now being implemented", noted Philippe Verstraeten, Programme Coordinator at the Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator.
A total of 122 latrines or showers have been destroyed, posing a serious health hazard. "At the present time, our major concern is to avert potential waterborne epidemics and other infections", said Dr. Dah ould-Cheik, acting representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Chad. "The spread of malaria, diarrhoeal and respiratory diseases, could affect up to 30,000 people", he added. The WHO has delivered an initial stock of emergency medical supplies to health facilities in Sarh on 12 August, especially for the treatment of malaria, diarrhoea, injuries, and common diseases.
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has meanwhile provided products for the impregnation of 200 mosquito nets covering 1,000 individuals highly vulnerable to malaria, 10 kg of chlorine for use in 2,700 water points, 17 family water kits covering 20,000 beneficiaries, and 45 boxes of high-protein biscuits for 5,400 children as well as pregnant and lactating women.
There are also concerns about food supply on the longer term. A total of 5,882 hectares of cultivated land has been flooded. "We are currently assessing whether, and to what extent, the floods have actually destroyed agricultural production, and what the damage to the harvest may be", said Marianne Sow, acting representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the country.
Chad is already affected by a humanitarian crisis, mainly in the east, home to over 255,000 Sudanese refugees and over 185,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), and in some areas of the south, home to over 55,000 Central African refugees. Other areas of Chad are not considered affected by a chronic humanitarian crisis, and are instead the subject of intense international efforts for development.