UN Releases 3 mln USD to Combat Expected Flooding in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Xinhua: The international donor-backed Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF), designed to address the country’s most urgent needs, has allocated 3 million U.S. dollars to help address the anticipated flooding, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the funds will reduce the humanitarian impact of the predicted flooding to communities that are expected to be the hardest hit in remote and hard-to-reach locations of Jamame, Luuq, and Afgooye.

“It will mainly provide multipurpose cash, pre-position and distribute hygiene kits and essential medicines, and upgrade communal universal water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and health facilities that could be implemented post-floods,” the OCHA said in its latest report issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The move comes as heavy rainfall has been affecting Somalia since April 19, causing floods, flash floods, and river overflows that have resulted in casualties and damage.

According to the OCHA, four people have died, of whom three in Somaliland, northern Somalia, and one in Hirshabelle State, south-central Somalia.

The UN agency said some 804 people have been displaced, 100 shelters have been destroyed, and a school has been damaged across the country.

“Humanitarian partners are stepping up response across the country,” it said, noting that more rainfall is expected over northwestern and southwestern parts of Somalia for the next 24 hours.