Côte d’Ivoire floods kill 59 as west Africa endures torrential rains | Côte d’Ivoire
Floods in Ivory Coast have killed 59 people since May, the communications minister said at a cabinet meeting in Abidjan.
Minister Amadou Coulibaly added that it is feared the death toll could rise further as rescue teams continue to search for victims during the rainy season, which runs from May to July.
The deaths are the latest on the West African coast, which has been hit by incessant, deadly rains that authorities predict could intensify in the coming days. Images emerged on social media showing residents wading under water in search of drier areas.
At least 13 people died in neighboring Ghana on Tuesday, although more than 400 people were rescued, Ghana’s fire service said. President John Mahama reported that the downpour in X was about 140 mm of rain; this was significantly higher than “the highest single-day rainfall recorded last year” [of] approximately 56mm”.
Officials say floods are becoming more deadly as climate deterioration increases the frequency and impact of extreme weather events. Although Africa contributes little to greenhouse gas emissions, the World Meteorological Organization has said the continent is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events.
However, the impact of poor waste management and urban population growth on existing infrastructure is also considered a factor.
After an air tour of the affected areas on Monday, Mahama explained that Accra was built between the Akwapim mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean and that being a small city, this was not a problem.
“As the population continues to grow and people continue to build, this restricts the path of streams to the Atlantic… there is also human behavior [of] “Disposal of garbage into drains… We have discovered many illegal dumping grounds with wetlands even in the air,” he added.
In Accra and the nearby city of Tema, rains covered flooded buildings and roads, cutting off access. In some areas, fire broke out as a result of electrical installations being flooded.
Floods also hit Benin, Togo and parts of Nigeria, with no casualties. In Lagos, Nigeria, where many islands are connected to a large mainland area, flooding halted operations at a transmission substation and disrupted electricity supply to many neighborhoods.
Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) predicted Rainfall ‘above normal’ this year in Abuja and nine states. Some states that experienced floods last year, which were described as the worst floods in the last 60 years, are located in the north. Between last December and February, southern and northern Africa were similarly affected by deadly floods.
