Tragic flood in Nigeria: 200 dead and desperate rescue operation

Tragic flood in Nigeria: 200 dead and desperate rescue operation

Mokwa, Nigeria - In the Central Nigerian city of Mokwa, after severe floods after hours of heavy rain, there is a humanitarian catastrophe. The number of dead has risen to at least 200 and the rescue measures have been discontinued because the authorities no longer have any hopes for survivors. Musa Kimboku, the deputy chairman of the administration of Mokwa, confirmed the hiring of the rescue activities. In order to counteract disease outbreaks, the corpses that are buried under the ruins are exhumed. More than 3,000 people had to leave their houses, while at least 500 households in three communities are directly affected. The floods spread quickly within about five hours, whereby the roofs of the houses were hardly visible and the surviving residents stood in the water up to hip high. In addition, two streets were washed away and two bridges collapsed.

Common floods are a recurring problem during the Nigerian rainy season, but the current events illustrate the effects of climate change. According to reports, Nigeria is not only affected by flooding, but also by long -lasting dry periods in the north of the country, which increase through climate change. These changes have serious effects on people's living conditions and lead to an increase in poverty and food uncertainty.

climate change and its consequences for Africa

The floods in Nigeria are part of a larger, alarming trend in Africa, which is reinforced by climate change. Over 250 medical journals, including renowned publications such as the "British Medical Journal" and "The Lancet", demand more climate justice for Africa in an editorial. This call for help takes place in the run -up to the World Climate Conference in November, in which 16 authors require more support from wealthy countries for Africa. Africa contributes little to the global climate crisis, but suffers disproportionately severely from their consequences. Overall, the Dürren in Africa south of the Sahara have tripled between 1970-1979 and 2010-2019, which leads to nutritional uncertainty and malnutrition.

The health effects of the climate crisis are already clearly noticeable in Africa. Extreme weather conditions affect water and food supply and lead to an annihilation of an estimated a fifth of the gross domestic product of the most affected countries. So far, the international obligations to provide $ 100 billion for climate aid to African states have been adhered to inadequate.

long -term prospects

According to the report "The State of the Climate in Africa 2020" of the World Weather Organization (WMO), the African continent is more affected by the climate crisis than other regions in the world. Hertworthy leads to more intensive and more common extreme weather events. By 2030, the forecast changes could affect up to 118 million extremely poor people in Africa who could suffer from the consequences of drought, floods and extreme heat.

The WMO also warns of “irreversible changes” in the weather system and emphasizes the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The reality of these statements can already be felt in countries like Nigeria. Urgent measures are required to contain the consequences of climate change and to protect the population.

Those responsible face the challenge of not only making immediate help, but also finding sustainable solutions for the structural problems reinforced by climate change.

Overall, the situation in Nigeria is a worrying example of the far -reaching consequences that climate change has on society and the environment.

More information about the floods and their effects can be found in the reports of maz-online.de , FAZ.NET and tagesschau.de .