As the first light pierced through storm clouds, swollen rivers spilled over their banks, sweeping through villages across the Sahel. In countries ranging from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to Nigeria, Chad and Sudan, families scrambled to salvage belongings as muddy water filled their homes. Along the riverbanks, farmers waded through flooded fields, trying desperately to rescue their crops and animals. This year’s rainy season in the Sahel, from July to September, turned roads into rivers and villages into islands, as the relentless rains showed no sign of easing. These scenes, as surreal as they are tragic, are a stark reminder of the Sahel’s growing vulnerability to climate change. Lying just south of the Sahara Desert, the Sahel region has long grappled with extreme weather, but recent changes in rainfall patterns have pushed communities to the brink. This year, rainfall in parts of the region has surged to levels many times exceeding the historical average, transforming the landscape into a vast, inundated expanse. Satellite images reveal the devastating toll: tens of thousands of hectares of cropland across the region submerged, and millions displaced. Flooding aftermath which includes damages facilities and submegerd houses. area. On September 10, 2024, Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, in Nigeria, experienced devastating flooding due to the overflow of the Alau Dam, which connects to the river flowing from Cameroon. Thousands of residents were displaced, and many lives were lost in this tragic event. Image courtesy of Mercy Corps. In Mali, the Niger River recently burst…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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