20100917
africanews

The Gambia has experienced heavy, torrential rains throughout July, August, and September 2010, which caused extensive flooding and resulted in loss of lives, crops and livestock, as well as large scale damage to infrastructure and household property.

National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) assessment reports conducted through the Agency’s coordinators stationed in the seven regions of that country, in collaboration with partners, including The Gambia Red Cross Society, shows that the entire country, including the capital- Banjul have been affected.

Preliminary reports indicate that 21,194 people have been affected, twelve human lives have been lost, and over 6227 people are currently displaced. The displaced have sought refuge in neighbouring houses, schools and community structures. Those sheltered in schools need to be relocated, to enable the schools to be rehabilitated, prior to the start of the new academic year due on 15 September 2010, indicating a slide down schedule against the end of schools’ summers.

Evacuating the displaced from schools will also prevent causing adverse effects on the children’s education.

The displaced population, comprising mainly women and children, have critical food and non-food needs, being addressed, confronted with increasing overloading on demands for help.

Many of those affected have lost their homes, possessions and assets. A high proportion of those affected are extremely poor, with a number of mud-built houses and temporary dwellings completely destroyed.

Water, hygiene and sanitation have become major concerns to the affected communities. Flooding potentially exacerbates the risk of cholera, and other communication diseases, including childhood illnesses, which can lead to increase morbidity and untimely deaths among children.

Wells over flooded by rain water, Children, the most vulnerable Assessment reports records indicate 87 diarrhoea and 57 fever cases, as at 15 September 2010, as a result of heavy rains with windstorm and flood related occurrence.

The consequence of such situations leads to decline in access to quality and quantity of water for households. Affected households resorts to coping strategies, such as sleeping in overcrowded and poor sanitation conditions, drinking from unsafe sources and poor hygiene practices, which have detrimental consequences on children and women. Household access to clean water is likely to be reduced, leading to worsening sanitation outcomes.
Significant loss of livelihoods has been reported, particularly for small traders and farmers whose goods have been destroyed or damaged, and whose livestock has been lost. Reports also indicate that rice fields were submerged. This is happening at a time when the farmers, who form the majority of the affected population, were busy cultivating and weeding their farmland. The affected crops include millet, coos, groundnut, and maize, etc, used for sustenance basic livelihoods. Additional heavy rains could result in moisture and further damaged these crops.

Latest updates show that number of children under five years old affected stands at 2,949, while the number of young people affected between the ages of six to 18 years is 3,833. 244 pregnant women and 112 physically challenged persons are among those affected.

The updates received by NDMA as of 17 September 2010 indicate that 2154 houses have been either partially or completely damaged. 56 water sources, 173 Latrines and over 20 hectares of farmland. More than 200 chicken, 18 goats, 25 sheep and 5 horses have been killed, according to NDMA assessment reports. A bridge has been partially damaged Sare Alfa Village, Upper River Region, nine roads, nine schools and five health facilities have either been partially or completely damaged.

The Gambia’s National Disaster Management Council and partners set up an interagency Task Force to facilitate a common understanding on the emergency, and agree on the priorities and the way forward. The Task Force held discussions which recommends priority needs for immediate emergency response to provide “Emergency Food Aid; Water and Sanitation; Health; Shelter and Agriculture; and Livelihoods.

The situation has prompted both the Gambian Vice President and the President respectively to, each in September 2010; conduct a two days assessment tour of some affected communities in the Gambian capital, Banjul, the Kanifing Municipal Council, and parts of Western Region, to have first hand information on the situation of the affected victims. This was preceded by earlier visit by the NDMA Executive Director in Central River Region and Upper River Region respectively in August 2010.

NDMA is soliciting urgent donor assistance required to meet the immediate basic needs of the flood affected population. Immediate support will complement the assistance already provided by The Government and other developments partners.


The National Disaster Management (NDMA) is currently assisting disaster victims.
At the onset of the emergency, NDMA donated Fifty Thousand Gambian Dalasi (Approx. US$1786) to the affected victims, as immediate relief service. The Gambian President also donated Ten Million Dalasi (Approx. US$357,143), out of which Five Million Dalasi was used to purchase 4411 bags of rice and 2920 [20 ltrs] gallons of oil, for immediate delivery to target the beneficiaries in dire in all the seven regions of the country.

Muslim Aid also donated 400 boxes of condense mutton. Furthermore, in July and August 2010 Green Mamba Restaurant, Insurance Association of the Gambia and B.B Electrical Construction Co. Ltd. donated D33, 000.00, D100, 000.00 and 25,000.00 respectively. This brings total of donated cash and cheques to the tune of D10, 208,000.00, as relief services.