Monday March 27, 2023
Kismayo (HOL) - The President of Jubbaland regional state, Ahmed Mohamed Islam, appointed a five-member Bardheere District Flood Emergency Committee on Sunday to provide immediate relief to those affected by the flood caused by the Jubba River in Bardhere District.
The committee includes Ahmed Hassan Omar, Minister of Relief and Disaster Management; Mohamed Ahmed Osman, Minister of State for the Presidency; Abdirahman Abdi Ahmed, Minister of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation; Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health; and Ahmed H. Baraki, Minister of Energy and Water.
According to the United Nations humanitarian agency, nearly 14 people have died, with thousands displaced and property destroyed due to flash floods caused by heavy rains in southern Somalia.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that lives were lost in the Bardhere district, Gedo region, which has experienced the heaviest rainfall recently. The agency also stated that several areas of Somalia had received light to moderate rains over the past week, indicating an early start to the Gu (April-May-June) rainy season.
Humanitarian agencies have raised concerns about a likely deterioration of living conditions, particularly for internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in overcrowded settlements with inadequate shelter.
The Gu season is the primary wet season in Somalia, and it supports agriculture and replenishes water and pasture. The UN agency said that this early onset of the Gu season would bring some relief to those affected by the prolonged drought