Floods kill three, render scores homeless

Three people died and many others lost their homes in Mali following heavy rains and floods in the northern locality of Goundam and the capital, Bamako, in late July and early August respectively, the ministry of security and civilian protection reported. About 90 mm of rain fell in Goundam on the night of 26 to 27 July, in one of the biggest downpours ever in the northern district. An old woman died, while a 14-year-old boy was killed as he tried to save his mother's belongings. Most of the area's houses, built of baked mud, crumbled as the rain fell for seven hours non-stop, local journalists said. The minister of security and civilian protection, Souleymane Sidibé, visited the area last week, taking emergency aid of more than 200 mt of cereals. The homeless were taken in by neighbours whose homes had remained intact. In Bamako, about 81 mm of rain fell during a nine-hour downpour on Thursday. Almost the entire town was flooded, with water entering homes and offices. A 25-year-old man died when he stumbled on a bridge and was swept away by the water. Many other communities along the River Niger were flooded. No deaths were reported, but there was heavy material damage, especially to houses. Most of the homeless have found shelter in classrooms, the ministry of security and civil protection said. This is the third successive year that floods have hit Mali, where two decades of drought had dried up river beds, prompting people to build homes on them. The authorities had conducted campaigns to encourage such people to relocate - some municipal authorities offered house lots - but many people did not move. The mayor of Bamako's First Commune, where last Thursday's fatality occurred, expressed regret at "the construction of houses without permission and the population's refusal to leave their houses which, unfortunately, are in a dangerous area". The situation was worsened in the capital by the dumping of household waste in drainage ditches, which became clogged. "All the drainage ditches overflowed despite efforts by the authorities to unclog them," said the mayor of Bamako's Sixth Commune, Tougnan Sacko. "Populations must become involved so that we can get out of this situation," the permanent secretary of the High Commissioner of Bamako, Issa Mamadou Tapo, said during a debate on the issue. Mali's Prime Minister Mohamed Amani visited the flood-hit areas in Bamako on Friday.