Hiiraan Online
Monday, October 5, 2015
A group of Somali men in Boodle, 20km from Jowhar, Somalia, September 2007. Recurrent flooding has affected water quality and destroyed crops, in turn leading to food price inflation.
© Manoocher Deghati/IRIN
MOGADISHU (HOL) ----Residents in the agricultural city of Jowhar are preparing for ‘river floods’ as water levels on the Shabelle river surged in the past few days, residents said Monday.
Farmers have erected bags of sands around their farms as the river’s water started to percolate the banks, threatening large areas of farming near the river which has burst its banks before and destroyed large croplands and livestock.
“The worst may come in the next few days,” said Ali Hassan, a resident in the town by phone.
The middle Shabelle region sees occasional floods every year that displaced thousands of residents.
With no rescue teams to deal with the emergency humanitarian disasters, residents often take matters into their hands by using all available tools including woody boats to help their fellow residents trapped in the flooded villages
In 2013, the region has experienced the worst floods that laid Jowhar, the provincial capital under waters that has led to the loss of lives, destruction of crops and loss of hundreds livestock.
Water borne diseases also killed dozens during the disaster. Somalia lacks capacity to deal with natural disasters after more than two decades of civil war that destroyed the country's economic infrastructure.
The country often relies on aid agencies to copy with the natural disasters; with UN officials often accuse local officials of corruption that may hamper efforts to reach the victims of floods.