Africa News
Heavy rains and floods affect one million across Africa
Sep 15, 2007, 15:35 GMT
Nairobi - Severe rainfall has led to flooding and damaged crops in at least 14 countries across western and eastern Africa, bringing chaos affecting an estimated 1 million people, reports said Saturday.
The floods had affected at least 500,000 people in West Africa and another half a million in Sudan alone, according to Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
At least 20 people were killed in Ghana, where flooding left more than 400,000 homeless and a state of emergency was declared in parts of the country.
The floods have hit large areas of the land producing food for the entire country, destroying crops and livestock, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported.
A spokesman for the crisis centre in Ghana said some villages and settlements had been wiped off the map as a result of the floods, according to the BBC.
In Uganda and Ethiopia, tens of thousands had to leave their homes at risk from rising water levels.
The flooded areas were now at risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, and food and medicines were scarce, officials and aid organizations warned.
The UN also said the floods also brought about the threat of a potential locust invasion.
Urgently needed rain in African countries previous threatened by drought fell heavier and for longer than in previous years, with people in some countries where it has not rained for years having to flee flooding.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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