The United Nations has announced a $6 million donation to assist flood victims in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. The fund will support thousands of residents affected by flooding caused by an overflow in the Alau Dam, located just over 10 miles south of the city.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall revealed that a joint mission comprising UN agencies, NGOs, and the Nigeria Red Cross Society visited Maiduguri over the weekend to assess the situation. Many of the affected individuals had already been displaced multiple times due to ongoing conflict and insecurity in the region.
“We and our partners are providing hot meals, air drops of food, and trucking in water to flood-affected areas,” Fall said. The UN and its partners are also providing water purification tablets, sanitation services, and hygiene kits to prevent disease outbreaks, as well as emergency health and shelter services for those in need.
In addition, the UN is working closely with donors to secure more funds, according to Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The flood has damaged more than 125,000 hectares of farmland across Nigeria, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation in the country.
