At least seven people were killed and several others displaced by flash flooding following a heavy downpour in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Friday night, a government official said on Saturday.
Saleh Omar Hassan, a spokesperson for the mayor of Mogadishu, said several houses were destroyed and some roads damaged by the heavy rains, which triggered flash floods.
“The intense and prolonged downpour has triggered flash floods, resulting in the loss of seven lives and the destruction of homes and property,” he said, noting that the torrential rains rendered several key roads impassable, paralyzing transport in the city and its environs.
Hassan said emergency response teams have been activated to mitigate the impact of the seasonal rains and flooding by deploying water pumps to drain flood-prone areas.
He said six major roads were damaged by the heavy rains, which also inundated the homes of more than 200 families.
One week prior to the floods, the United Nations called for immediate emergency assistance to help 45,000 people affected by flooding across Somalia.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that the flooding is occurring at a time when partners, especially national non-governmental organizations, which are often the frontline responders, are facing crippling funding reductions that have severely limited their ability to respond to emerging needs.
The floods were triggered by the moderate to heavy rains of the Gu (April to June) main rainy season, which began on April 15 in parts of Somalia and the Ethiopian highlands, where the Juba and Shabelle rivers originate. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
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