Flooding displaces thousands in Beletweyne

Flooding in the Hiiran region of south-central Somalia has displaced thousands of families and inundated many hectares of farmland in and around Beletweyne, the regional capital, sources in the affected region said.

A local journalist, Abdullahi Muhammad Salat, told IRIN on Thursday that the Shabelle River burst its banks and flooded the town, which is 350 km northwest of Mogadishu, and "a dozen villages" nearby.

The floods had "displaced around 5,000 families in and around Beletweyne" and destroyed 2,500 ha of farmland in the Hiiraan region.

"Most of those displaced not only lost their homes but also their livelihoods. Many were farmers, and their farms and crops are underwater," he said.

The most severely affected areas were Beletweyne and the villages to the north and south of the town. People had moved to elevated areas to the east and west of town. "But many are marooned in their neighbourhoods. People are using boats to move around the town," Salat told IRIN.

The water levels of the river were still rising, creating fear of more flooding, said Salat. The rains were expected to continue through the middle of June.

Many parts of Somalia are currently experiencing the long Gu rains (April to June), which have been average this year in the Hiiraan region. Downpours in neighbouring Ethiopia, however, have caused the rivers downstream in Somalia to swell, leading to the flooding.

A Somali agronomist told IRIN that the situation was exacerbated by the fact that since the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, no one has been able "to de-silt the riverbeds or manage the sluice gates on the rivers or adjoining canals."

Local farmers had also cut into river embankments in order to irrigate their land, which contributes to the seasonal flooding.

International aid agencies, along with local partners, had begun to help the affected populations, said Salat. "They have already provided some plastic sheeting, blankets and water containers."

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it was sending food aid to the affected populations. "At this stage, WFP is dispatching an initial 100 mt of relief food to flood-affected populations in Beletweyne and its environs. We are closely monitoring the situation," Robert Hauser, WFP country director for Somalia, told IRIN on Thursday.

Bob McCarthy, UNICEF-Somalia Emergency Officer told IRIN the flooding had also affected the Middle Shabelle region, particularly the regional capital, Jowhar, 90 km north of Mogadishu, and the town of Mahaday.

"The whole situation is very tenous," he said. "We are concerned that the situation could worsen very rapidly." The water levels of the Juba River, the second and largest river in Somalia, were very high and could also cause flooding in the juba valley, he added.