NAIROBI (Halbeeg News) – Somali Disaster Management Authority (SoDMA) has warned Somalis residing along the banks of the Juba and Shabelle rivers, as well as in low-lying areas prone to flooding encouraged to move to safer spaces to avoid loss of life and property.
In a statement, SoDMA said the looming threat of anticipated floods could affect approximately 700,000 individuals by the end of April.
The agency said that rainfall is expected from the first week of April until the end of the month, with projections indicating a continuation of rains through June.
The alert by the agency comes barely a month after the UN warned that Somalia would experience enhanced rainfall between April and June, which would lead to flooding across the country.
Citing the seasonal climate forecast issued by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC), the UN said there is a high probability of 55 per cent of above-average rainfall in most parts of Somalia during the upcoming Gu rainy season (the long rainy season in Somalia).
“The projected above-average rainfall during the coming Gu season is likely to lead to a high potential of flooding over the Juba and Shabelle rivers,” UNICEF said in a statement.
Gu, which sometimes starts as early as the second half of March, is the main wet season in Somalia and is critical in supporting agricultural activities and replenishing water and pasture.
A Somali girl walks past a makeshift shelter at a settlement for internally displaced people in Mogadishu, Somalia, April 1, 2020.
© REUTERS/Feisal Omar
Late last year, deadly torrential rains and floods affected more than two million people in several areas of Somalia, with over 100 killed and 750,000 displaced from their homes.
