Over the past few weeks, MSF has observed a worrying rise in the water level of the Chari and Logone rivers, with the current average height reaching 8.11m in Ndjamena. This has resulted in major floods in several areas in the south and centre of the country, notably in the capital, Ndjamena, driving people out of their homes to seek temporary shelter on higher dry lands.
On 19 October, the head of the Chad government, Mahamat Deby, declared a state of emergency in the country in response to the flooding in 636 localities across 18 of Chad’s 23 provinces. In the capital N'Djamena, the flooding of the Chari River displaced some 255,000 people between October and December 2022, driving many to seek refuge in some 20 displacement camps.
Not only have the floods submerged vital infrastructure under water; including healthcare facilities, but have also severely impacted livelihoods, with over 465,000 hectares of crops destroyed and cattle killed – raising concerns over agricultural production and the looming threat of food insecurity.
In coordination with local health authorities and the different aid actors, MSF initiated an emergency response to the flooding situation in the capital – mobilizing resources to address unmet medical and humanitarian needs, and to ensure that meaningful access to healthcare is provided to displaced people who had been forced to evacuate their homes and were consequently cut off from accessing basic services. MSF teams are currently running several mobile clinics that provide primary healthcare to displaced people, as well as water and sanitation services, and access to vaccines against preventable infectious diseases. However, humanitarian response is shy considering the massive needs of population, and some villages remain inaccessible due to extreme flooding.