Chad’s government has called on the public to help tackle severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall and the rising waters of the Chari River, which flows through the capital, N’Djamena.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), since July, these floods have claimed 576 lives and affected over 1.9 million—more than 10% of Chad’s population.
During an emergency meeting with military officials, Prime Minister Allah-Maye Halina said that the Chari River, which meets the Logone River in N’Djamena, continues to rise and has reached a record 8.18 metres.
Soldiers have been working to build dams and barriers using sandbags to protect residential areas from the advancing waters. However, Halina has called on local businesses to “mobilise their machinery” and help construct embankments, stressing the urgency by stating, “Every minute is precious.”
Flooding has already impacted a neighbourhood in N’Djamena that was developed during a period of drought in the 1970s and 1980s, making it vulnerable to the waters from the Chari and Logone rivers. The previous highest water level for the Chari was 8.14 metres, recorded in November 2022, during the country’s most severe rainfall since the 1960s.
All 23 of Chad’s provinces have suffered from the flooding, with the Lac province being the most severely impacted. More than 217,000 homes have been destroyed, 432,000 hectares of agricultural fields ruined, and 72,000 livestock lost, according to OCHA.
These extreme weather conditions have been described as “a stark reminder of the growing impact of climate change” on the African continent, contributing to over 1,500 deaths and displacing at least 1.2 million people across countries like Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria. UN officials have called for “immediate action and adequate funding” to address the “climate crisis” affecting West and Central Africa.
OCHA reports that an estimated $129 million is required in Chad to address the flooding and its effects. The international community’s support is crucial to mitigate the humanitarian crisis and rebuild affected communities.