The Logone river in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, has reached its highest level in 30 to 40 years, authorities announced on Wednesday.
This alarming development further exacerbates the devastating nationwide floods that have been plaguing the country for weeks.
The annual monsoon season in West and Central Africa has brought unusually heavy rainfall this year, leading to widespread flooding.
Chad has been particularly hard hit, with 1.9 million people affected across the country as of October 5, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
On Wednesday morning, the Logone river swelled even higher than anticipated, reaching a level of 8.18 meters.
“This is a record not seen for at least 30 to 40 years,” stated Sakine Youssouf, head of the National Meteorology Agency.
In response to the escalating crisis, Prime Minister Allah Maye Halina convened a meeting of the national flood management committee on Wednesday.
The committee agreed on an action plan to address the floods, which have affected eight of N’Djamena’s 10 districts and 17 out of 23 of Chad’s provinces.