Maiduguri Flood: Victims worry over hygiene as open defecation takes over camp

BY MUHAMMAD M. ALI, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 | 09:56 PM

After seeking shelter for a week in the Teachers Village Internally Displaced Persons Camp, Muhammad Ali returned home last Saturday to find a section of his house and properties destroyed.

His home was one of countless others devastated by floods which began September 9 across Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Jere, and Konduga L Local governments of Borno.

'Some sections of my house were completely destroyed,' Ali said. 'I found some of my properties scattered within my compound. At that time, the floodwater was around my ankles.'

Since the flood began inundating roads and homes on September 9, residents of these communities have been fleeing to seek safety and a temporary shelter. While some have returned home because the damage to their houses is manageable, others have remained in the camp waiting for either water to recede or anticipating intervention from government and nongovernmental organizations to rehabilitate or reconstruct their houses.

With government yet to commit to rehabilitation and reconstruction project, Ali feels his hope of returning home might not come soon, and he was already gripped by the fear of death in the camp.

In the camp, people like Ali are still facing severe hardship, including poor feeding and a lack of portable drinking water in the camp. But his fear of death, Ali said, was not compounded by those issues. He revealed something else.

'I was given a card, but I am yet to see its usefulness,' Ali said, who was kept in an uncompleted building with his family members. 'People sharing cooked food in the camp do not come here.'

'Water is also scarce. We have to go out of the camp to fetch water,' he added.

While this reporter also observed Ali's building lacked windows, the open field in the camp was similarly occupied by unharvested crops, including guinea corn, a potential breeding ground for mosquito.

Also, people were not only using the natural environment to openly defecate around the camp but also everywhere else. Ali was no exception to this behavior.

When asked where he normally relieved himself if necessary, he said, 'I would just find a corner and do it,' further stressing that 'it is the habit of everyone in the camp.'

However, he noted that open defecation was becoming rampant, including in front of his shelter.

'Open defecation is becoming so rampant,' Ali said, fearing death. 'Just look at them everywhere around our shelter. I am now afraid. Somebody told us if people did not stop the open defecation, cholera would come and kill us.'

A member of the Civilian Joint Tasks Force who accompanied this reporter also confirmed some of the claims made by Ali concerning open defecation and inadequate toilet facilities.

'Be very careful not to match the mess made by the IDPs,' the CJTF told this reporter while taking him around the camp. 'The IDPs are defecating openly everywhere.'

He also explained that the food cooked by the camp kitchen does not go around, and food donations by Good Samaritans also do not go around before they are finished.

Situations like these in camp have caused diseases, including malnutrition. Unsanitary environments have also led to the spread of common waterborne diseases such as cholera. Malaria, already a persistent problem in the North East region, has been further exacerbated by the proliferation of mosquito-breeding sites created by standing water.

The risk of mortality among flood-affected populations is significant, particularly for children and the elderly.

People like Fatima Ibrahim only spent five days in the camp but had already fallen sick. She said, 'Every part of me is aching,' while coming out of a temporary clinic established in the camp by UNICEF.

Fatima, 17, also came from Kasuwan Shanu, Ali's area. Unlike Ali, Fatima had benefited from the card distributed in the camp.

She told this reporter how the Borno State Government gave her N10,000 in cash for her basic needs.

'I was given N10,000 by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum,' Fatima said, noting that six days later, she only had N40.

Climate Change, Poor Handling of Adaptation Measures to Blame

According to Governor Babagana Umara Zulum in a nationwide broadcast, the September 9 flood has affected about a million people in the state and have been seeking shelter in 36 IDP camps and host communities.

The flood was a direct result of the overflow of Alau Dam. This dam, constructed to provide water for irrigation and domestic use, has been the source of flooding in the past, particularly during years of heavy rainfall.

The primary factor contributing to the dam's overflow is the seasonal inflow of the Ngadda River, a tributary of the Yedzeram River. The Yedzeram River, originating from the Hudu Hills, flows northwest towards Lake Chad.

During the wet season, it contributes significantly to the Ngadda River, which then feeds into Alau Dam. However, in years of low rainfall, the Yedzeram River's contribution is reduced, leading to decreased inflow to the dam.

While the Federal Government, through the federal ministry of water resources, attributed the flood to climate change and unprecedented downpour, some experts attributed it to mismanagement and human activities.

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum attributed it to both climate change and building structures on waterways and floodplains.

An Alau Dam personnel who earlier spoke to YERWA EXPRESS NEWS said that after the 1994 flood in the state, the federal government created a substantial wall at Alau Dam to control water flow into Maiduguri and stressed that engineers warned that if water exceeded the height of the wall, it would flood Maiduguri.

The personnel, who spoke in anonymity, noted that it was the wall that collapsed which led to the flood.

Meanwhile, reports, including from Budgit, indicated that the Federal Government subsequently awarded some contracts with money paid for the rehabilitation of the dam from 2020 to 2024. However, there was no convincing evidence that the contracts were effectively carried out.

The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), in its 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, identified 31 states and 148 local government areas as being at high risk for flooding, including areas of Borno.

Despite the flood warnings issued by the government, the recent flood was more severe than anticipated.

The failure to take adequate mitigation measures, including strengthening the dam's infrastructure and implementing effective flood control strategies, resulted in widespread damage and displacement.

The Rise of Community Members to Feed Victims of the Flood

On Sunday, the environment of the Teachers Village IDP Camp was very busy with the victims moving around. Some intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, including the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), had already established a presence in the camp.

There were massive interventions from host communities in solidarity with the victims.

The Pompomari Youths Association, an association of a neighborhood close to the camp, was an example of such a gesture.

On that day, this reporter witnessed the association busy sharing cooked food packaged in waterproof containers with the victims, including Ali and Fatima rushing to collect.

Apart from the conditions it subjected the victims to, the flood caused significant destruction to the city, including damage to bridges, roads, and infrastructure. Thousands of people have been left homeless.

In terms of interventions in the camps, there are a lot of gaps. The flood victims face hunger and poor hygiene, breeding grounds for waterborne diseases.

There is an urgent call for humanitarian assistance from the Federal Government, international organizations, and philanthropists.