INTERSOS has launched an extraordinary response in the capital to bring urgent aid to those affected by the flooding of the Chari and Logone rivers
The extraordinary rainfalls, the heaviest in the last thirty years, which have hit Chad since the beginning of September, have caused the flooding of the Chari and Logone, the two rivers that meet in the capital N’Djamena. As can also be seen from the satellite photos, entire areas of the city are submerged in water, the houses have been swept away, 157,000 people, according to the latest data from the United Nations, have been forced to flee. The INTERSOS team is on the front line to bring relief, responding to the most urgent needs of the population. We have been operational, since the first day of the emergency, to provide emergency shelters, build wells, distribute NFI kits, support hygiene, and access clean water through the active involvement of the community.
We have already reached hundreds of families, built 322 emergency shelters, and dug 6 wells (while 3 more are under repair), but we need to hurry even more. On 18 November, the World Health Organization declared a status of emergency, highlighting the risks of spreading diseases, epidemic outbreaks, and the interruption of treatment for displaced people already suffering from chronic diseases. According to the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index, Chad is the most vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change and the impact of flooding is amplified by land degradation and poor urban planning.
According to data collected from the IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le développement), the University of N’Djamena, and the Directorate of Water Resources of the Ministry of Urban and Rural Hydraulics of Chad, the level of the Chari River at N’Djamena reached a peak of 8.14m on November 13 and then a slow decrease of one centimeter per day was observed. Currently, the water level is at 8.11m.