The United Nations has announced a donation of $6 million to help victims of the recent flood in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The flood was caused by an overflow from the Alau Dam, located just over 10 miles south of the city.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, said that a joint mission made up of UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the Nigeria Red Cross Society visited Maiduguri over the weekend.
“We and our partners are providing them with hot meals, we are facilitating air drops of food in hard-to-reach areas cut off by flood waters, and we are also trucking in water,” said Fall.
He added, “We are also providing water and sanitation hygiene services and water purification tablets to prevent disease outbreaks. Additionally, we are supplying hygiene and dignity kits to women and girls, as well as emergency health and shelter services.”
Many of the people affected by the flood had already been displaced multiple times due to ongoing conflict and insecurity in the area.
Flooding in Nigeria has damaged more than 125,000 hectares of farmland. UN officials are working with donors to secure more funding for continued support of the victims.
