(Bamako) The Malian government declared a state of national disaster on Friday following floods that have left 30 dead and 47,374 homeless since the start of the rainy season in June, during an extraordinary council of ministers.
From the beginning of the rainy season to August 22, 122 cases of flooding were recorded in 17 regions and Bamako. They affected 7,077 households, leaving 47,374 people homeless, according to a government press release.
They caused 30 deaths, including 12 in Ségou, 6 in Gao, 5 in Bamako, 3 in Koutiala, as well as 104 injured.
In the district of Bamako, the capital, 563 households have been affected, for a total of 4,639 people affected. The worst-hit region is Gao, in the north, with a total of 9,936 people affected.
Mali is not the only Sahelian country hit by the storms. In neighboring Niger, floods have left 217 dead, 200 injured and more than 350,000 homeless, according to authorities. In Chad, they have also left dozens dead and thousands homeless.
The Malian Council of Ministers has adopted a relief organization plan. It includes measures such as continuing to raise awareness of flood risks, formally prohibiting the allocation of plots for residential use in flood-prone areas, and cleaning collectors, gutters and junctions of water drainage routes.
The ruling junta also announced that it would mobilize 4 billion CFA francs to deal with the consequences of the floods, strengthen the national food security stock and provide the necessary assistance to affected households.