The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has expressed concern over the conditions of more than 40,000 displaced persons affected by flood in Rann, Kalabalge Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State.
Among the affected people are women and children, the OCHA said in Maiduguri.
It said the victims lack access to food and basic services due to floods which submerged Rann, Kalabalge LGA headquarters, and its environs on November 7.
OCHA attributed the flood to the release of excess water from Kaalia River in neighbouring Cameroon.
It said the flood damaged an estimated 4, 000 hectares of farmlands and destroyed crops, which Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Rann mainly depended on for food.
The UN agency lamented that the area was difficult to access for humanitarian assistance due to the high level of insecurity and dilapidated road.
It said: โStranded populations are running short of food and those who can afford it are paying high sums to be transported to the other areas, putting their lives at risks while crossing the river or running for safety.
โMore than 300 people from Rann have managed to reach Ngala, a town some 40 kilometers away from the area, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM); they managed to leave Rann before the road became impassable.
โHumanitarian partners are mobilising resources to reach the stranded population via the UN Humanitarian Air Services, until access is secured for small boats.โ
It explained that the flood caused displacement to about 19, 000 people, adding that government had set up nine IDP camps, to facilitate effective response to affected persons.
It also said that the UN and humanitarian partners had scaled up assistance in Adamawa and provided reproductive health kits to more than 56, 000 people, 400 families received non-food items and 4, 000 other families got farming inputs.
According to the UN agency, also more than 300, 000 persons are affected in Adamawa and Borno in the worst flood disaster since 2012.
