Floods near Jowhar displace hundreds, destroy crops

Hundreds of people have been displaced and at least 7,000 hectares of newly sown crops destroyed by floods after a river burst its banks in Somalia's Middle Shabelle region, local officials told IRIN.



The worst flooding occurred near the town of Jowhar, 90km north of Mogadishu, where the River Shabelle burst its banks.



"In Mandeere village [10km southeast of Jowhar] alone, some 850 families [about 5,100 people] were affected; we are completely surrounded by water," Ali Haji Hamud, a member of the village council, told IRIN on 13 April.



"The river burst its banks and destroyed our crops. We lost about 4,000 hectares of crops. We were hoping for a good harvest, but now I am not sure we will be able to salvage anything."



The most common crops grown in the area are maize, sesame and cowpeas.



Hamud said residents had stemmed the flooding with sandbags thanks to help from the Islamist administration in Jowhar and a local NGO. "For now we are safe but cut off," he said. "We are accessible by boat only."



Isse Ahmed Nur, an elder in Bulo Ahmed, 18km northeast of Jowhar and one of the worst affected villages, told IRIN some 3,500 hectares of farmland were washed away by the floods. "We are trying to stop the flooding but we are fighting a losing battle."



He said the community was not getting any help. "No one is here to help."



Abukar Abdulahi Tifow, the country director of the Women and Child Care Organization (WOCCA), a local NGO, said the whole area around Jowhar had been affected.



"The danger has not passed as the river water is still high and more rain is expected," Tifow said.



He said the worst affected areas were Mandeere, Bulo Ahmed and Huriwa villages, with a combined estimated population of 2,000 families (about 12,000 people). Some people had been forced to move to higher ground.

Photo: Abukar Albadri/IRIN

Embanking River Shabelle's flood waters: The worst flooding occurred near the town of Jowhar (file photo)

No preparations



An aid worker who requested anonymity told IRIN there was some flooding in the Jowhar area but the situation had not reached "alarming levels yet", but he warned that as the rain intensified there was "a serious likelihood that the flooding situation would get worse".



In the past, aid agencies used to prepare for the `Gu’ rainy season (April-June) but there were no preparations this time.



"Aid agencies are no longer in the area due to insecurity and so there is no preparedness and this is the biggest worry," the aid worker said, adding that lack of proper management of the irrigation system since the collapse of the national government in 1991 had exacerbated the situation.



With no aid agencies to help there had been little de-silting of the riverbed or proper management of the gates on rivers or adjoining canals. Farmers have eroded the river bank in an effort to irrigate their fields and "unfortunately, are contributing to the problem", the aid worker said.



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