Niger: Floods - Sep 2022

On 31st of August 2022, based on information coming from the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), in collaboration with the Directorate General of Water Resources and the Directorate of National Meteorological services, indicates that floods will occur in the week of 5 September in Niamey. As a result, the Niger Red Cross Society is activating its Early Action Protocol (EAP) for Floods. (IFRC, 1 Sep 2022)

On 2 September, feedback was received from the SATHORIO that the Niamey hydrometeorological station temporarily malfunctioned during the period from 28 August to 3 September 2022, As a result, the water threshold in the bulletin dated 29 August 2022 was incorrect, which was the bulletin used to activate the EAP. Moreover, the wrong interpretation of the meteorological data was also influenced by the heavy rainfall recorded during the same period downstream of the river. Therefore, the EAP activation was a false alarm. At this time, based on the information from National Coordination Unit (NCU), and in coordination with the National Director of Hydraulics (DHN), early actions were paused pending further clarification.

On 8 September, a field visit was organized including representatives from the CRN, the Ministry of Humanitarian Actions and Early Warning Systems, Direction of Civil Protection, National Director of Hydraulics, the local Administrative Authority, Niger Basin Authority and IFRC. The field visit identified that in addition to the false alarm mentioned above, the protective embankment is being raised (work started in August 2022) to more than 650 cm (photo 2 and 3), along the river in the Niamey River by the Disaster Risk Management and Urban Development Project (DRMP-UD). Following the field visit, on 12 September, it was unanimously decided that the probability of flooding was very low (less than 20%), therefore, the EAP actions should stop. (IFRC, 7 Oct 2022)

In Niger, 195 people died as a result of prolonged rainfall and flooding, which have so far affected about 327,000 people, since June. The southern regions of Zinder and Maradi, which border Nigeria, were the hardest hit. (OCHA, 10 Nov 2022)