Nigeria’s flood death toll this year has risen to 603 as the local government rushes to deliver relief pieces to thousands of others evacuated from their submerged homes.
More than 1. 3 million people have been displaced by the disaster, which has affected others in 33 of Nigeria’s 36 states, the country’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said on Sunday.
At least 340,000 hectares of land have also been affected, raising fears of food disruptions. The armed confrontation has already threatened production in Nigeria’s northwestern and central regions, which produce much of what the country eats.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered “all involved to work to restore normalcy,” according to a statement issued by the presidency.
Nigeria reports annual flooding, especially in coastal areas, but this year’s flooding is the worst in more than a decade. Authorities attribute this year’s crisis to the release of excess water from the Lagdo dam in neighboring Cameroon and the rains.
The floods have deepened the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria, where armed violence in the troubled northern region has already displaced more than 3 million people, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.
Sadiya Umar Farouq, Nigeria’s minister of humanitarian affairs, warned that five states remained threatened with flooding as of late November.
“We call on the respective state governments, local government councils and communities to prepare for additional flooding by evacuating other people living in the floodplains to higher ground,” Farouq said.
Last week, President Buhari sent 12,000 tons of grain for flood victims, the humanitarian affairs minister said.
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