Nigeria Floods Acute Crisis Joint Response

Heavy rainfalls have already been causing severe flooding all across northern Nigeria. The situation escalated further when the Alau Dam in Borno State (northeast Nigeria) was breached, leading to flash floods that have severely affected at least 414,000 people so far; with 400,000 people displaced, 37 people reported dead, and 58 people injured. The flooding has caused extensive damage to infrastructure, crops, and shelter, severely impacting livelihoods and displacing households.

When these recent flash floods broke out, northeast Nigeria was already facing an acute food crisis and an ongoing conflict with non-state armed forces (Boko Haram) which has displaced thousands in Borno State. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the fast-moving waters submerged over 70% of Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State. OCHA estimates that over 400,000 people in Borno State were displaced, forcing them to relocate to former and operational  camps already housing Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs).

Former and operational camps for internally displaced people quickly reached full-capacity, unable to provide safe drinking water, food, and basic non-food items to recently displaced populations. Schools are also being used to house internally displaced people, interrupting education for children and adolescents.

The compounding crises have left communities and displaced people in dire circumstances, particularly affecting women and children, as well as the elderly and people with disabilities. Children face high risks of neglect, family separation and exploitation, with reported cases of child labour and sexual exploitation. Psychosocial and emotional distress among children is manifesting in cases of withdrawal and isolation, further increasing their vulnerability. The assessment identified a lack of child-friendly spaces, recreational activities and limited mechanisms for identifying and supporting alternative care of unaccompanied and separated children in IDP camps. Services for children with disabilities are also scarce. Women and girls are vulnerable to sexual and gender based violence due to the limited access to adequate and essential services in the camps for IDPs. There is an urgent need to scale up ongoing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) efforts. Many relocation sites are overcrowded with open defecation taking place and limited access to drinking water. There is an absence of disability-accessible sanitation facilities that offer separate spaces for men and women. The lack of adequate WASH facilities and access to water and non-food items exacerbates protection concerns, particularly increased risk of sexual and gender based violence for women and girls.

The floods are taking place during the lean season, further exacerbating the pre-existing food crisis. According to OCHA, this year’s lean season, which takes place between May and September, is the worst Nigeria has seen in seven years, with malnutrition rates 40% higher than last year. The flooding, taking place right before the upcoming harvesting season, has destroyed agricultural lands and central market networks, heavily disrupting economic activity and sources of livelihood. This will affect the capacity of the communities to recover not only from the flooding, but also from the ongoing food crisis as a result of the ‘lean season’.

The Joint Response

OCHA’s Rapid Needs Assessment, as well as assessments conducted by Joint Response partners in the aftermaths of the flooding, have identified several priority needs; including WASH, food security, shelter andnon-food items, protection, and nutrition.

The activities carried out under this Joint Response are the following:

WASH: 106,950 individuals will be reached. The joint response aims to improve access to safe drinking water, improve (safe) access to WASH facilities, prevent waterborne diseases and improve public health outcomes. WASH activities have been devised to also address the most pressing public health concerns, including water-borne diseases and water contamination. Activities include distributing water purification tablets, distributing dignity/hygiene kits, providing emergency water trucking, repairing, disinfecting and rehabilitating water points, rehabilitating latrines or installing emergency latrines, as well as conducting culturally sensitive health and hygiene promotion.

Protection: protection services are provided to 40,000 people; reaching the most vulnerable women, children and adolescents, including those with disabilities. Activities include setting up case management for child protection and cases of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV). Case management also entails the identification and reunification of unaccompanied and separated children, as well as specialized services for children with disabilities. Considering the increasing risks of sexual and gender based violence, partners will carry out SGBV awareness campaigns, ensuring that they are culturally appropriate and inclusive. Community-based protection mechanisms will also be established, which include child protection Focal Points, child rights groups, and Women & Men Against SGBV groups, which will serve as first responders, identify protection concerns and refer to appropriate services. Psychosocial support is provided through child-friendly spaces, as well as women and girls’ safe spaces.

Multipurpose cash assistance: approximately 27,000 individuals will be reached with multipurpose cash assistance in order to address the nutrition, food, shelter and non-food items needs of the affected population. Multipurpose cash assistance was identified in partners’ rapid need assessments as an appropriate response in order to stimulate markets, which are slowly recuperating, and enable households to prioritize their most urgent needs. Multipurpose cash assistance is an important component aimed at addressing the lack of access to food commodities and allows households to replace key lost assets, for cooking and sheltering for instance.
Shelter/non-food items: Approximately 10,500 individuals will also be provided with jerrycans, buckets, soap, cooking items, solar torchlights and other items in the first weeks of the crisis to meet urgent needs.

Food security and livelihood: Approximately 6,000 people will be provided with food assistance. The joint response will distribute two hot meals (wet feeding) per day for 10 days in IDP camps, in addition to cash-for-food.

Nutrition: Approximately 8,906 people will be reached with nutrition assistance. The joint response will rehabilitate the Mashamari Stabilization Center through the procurement of laboratory equipment, oxygen concentrators, essential drugs, and therapeutic food, as well as additional bedding and mattresses. The joint response will also establish integrated nutrition treatment centers in camps for internally displaced people.

The Joint Response is planning to reach 134,400 people during this response.