Mogadishu (AX) — Britain is committing £5 million to help Somalia act before El Niño-driven floods hit during the October-to-December Deyr rainy season, a package expected to benefit up to 600,000 people.
The funding will finance early warning systems, temporary relocation, flood defences and vital health, nutrition, water and sanitation services in areas facing the greatest danger, the British Embassy in Mogadishu said Thursday.
- Advertisement -
Flood-prone communities near Jowhar and Beletweyne are among the intended beneficiaries, as are residents of almost 100 camps for internally displaced people. The support is also designed to keep up to 71 health facilities running and extend mobile health services to people displaced or isolated by floodwaters.
Somalia is bracing for an increased risk of severe flooding as El Niño intensifies in the Pacific. The Food and Agriculture Organization says central and southern parts of the country face up to a 90% chance of above-average rainfall during the Deyr season.
Somalia’s disaster management authorities estimate that flooding could affect between 2.5 million and 3.5 million people. Up to 1 million people could be forced from farming and grazing areas, they said.
“Floods don’t have to become humanitarian disasters. Acting early means families can move to safety, essential services can remain available and livelihoods can be protected,” Chris Pycroft, development director at the British Embassy in Mogadishu, said in a statement.
“By investing now, we can save lives and help Somali communities withstand future climate shocks.”
The funding was unveiled Wednesday at the Country Humanitarian Forum in Mogadishu, where Somali officials, aid agencies and international partners reviewed preparations for the forecast rains.
Action Against Hunger will lead the Caafimaad Plus program, which will receive £2.5 million for health, nutrition, water, sanitation and protection services. The other £2.5 million will support RESTORE, a program implemented by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Organization for Migration and World Vision.
RESTORE will finance early warning systems, temporary relocation, flood protection work and cash assistance for vulnerable households.
The Somalia funding is part of a broader £15 million British package announced this month for countries judged particularly vulnerable to El Niño’s effects.
Repeated droughts and floods have battered Somalia, destroying crops and livestock, uprooting communities and deepening food insecurity.
In 2023, widespread El Niño-related flooding affected about 2.48 million people and displaced 1.2 million, according to British government figures.
The FAO has identified 1997 and 2023 as comparable years to the weather pattern now emerging. More than 2,300 people died in the 1997 floods, while the 2023 disaster triggered extensive displacement, infrastructure damage and agricultural losses.
The U.N. agency has cautioned that another major flood could wipe out crops and livestock, restrict access to markets and heighten disease risks as millions of Somalis continue to face hunger and malnutrition.
