Torrential rains fueled by the climate crisis leave more than 500 dead and two million homeless in the Sahel

The torrential rains that have hit the Sahel since the end of June have caused more than 550 deaths, more than two million people affected and devastating destruction in countries such as Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Mali. The wet season, between July and September, is always synonymous with rainfall, but climate change is causing an intensification of these extreme phenomena, as already happened in 2021. “The increase in global temperature due to greenhouse gases accelerates the water cycle: heat causes greater evaporation, especially in the oceans, and the atmosphere to retain more water vapour, which results in torrential rains,” says Senegalese climatologist Aïda Diongue-Niang.

In Niger, extreme rainfall, which began in June, has virtually cut off the capital, Niamey, from the rest of the country. Authorities say at least 217 people have died and some 350,000 people have been directly affected, having lost their homes or having to flee them for fear of flooding. The Niger River, which runs through the city, has overflowed in numerous places and people living near it who depend on horticulture or fishing have seen their livelihoods reduced. In Chad, the rains have caused 145 deaths and one million people affected, more than 70,000 houses destroyed and some 30,000 heads of livestock lost. And the worst could be yet to come in September.

“Over the past 10 years, the intensity of floods linked to the rainy season has skyrocketed,” says Diongue-Niang, “but this summer it has happened in many countries at the same time. The trend is clear and is defined by the global rise in temperatures: we will have more and more extreme events and they are also affecting less common areas, such as northern Chad or southern Morocco.” This increase in storms is combined with uncontrolled growth in African cities to generate a greater impact. “The population is settling in flood-prone areas, the vegetation on the banks of rivers is replaced by bare soil and the channelling works are not sized, they are not sufficient,” adds the climatologist.

In the last 10 years, the intensity of flooding has skyrocketed and is affecting less common areas, such as northern Chad and southern Morocco.

Aïda Diongue-Niang, Senegalese climatologist

In northern Nigeria, this summer’s heavy rains have killed more than 170 people and displaced more than 200,000 people from their homes in places where such events do not usually occur. Authorities fear that flooding will move to the centre of the country in the coming weeks. Mali, with more than 10,000 homes destroyed or affected by floodwaters, declared a state of national disaster at the end of August. The floods have affected 17 regions and Bamako, leaving 30 dead. The desert city of Gao in the north of the country has been one of the hardest hit. In Sudan, tens of thousands of people already displaced by the war have been forced to leave again because of the floods.

Extreme heat

All eyes are on extreme heat, which is affecting the entire planet. Between late March and early April, West Africa and the Sahel experienced a heat wave of more than 45 degrees in many places, which would be “impossible” if climate change were not responsible, according to the global network of scientists World Weather Attribution (WWA). Since 1950, the average temperature in West Africa has risen by 1.1 degrees, but the Sahel and the Sahara Desert are warming faster than the rest of the continent and extreme episodes are concentrated above all before the rainy season, which intensifies rainfall.

In Burkina Faso, heavy rains have disrupted traffic on the country’s main highway linking the cities of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, causing huge economic losses. In Senegal, the August rains have once again brought to light the endemic problem of flooding in suburbs of Dakar, such as Pikine or Thiaroye, where the population is eagerly awaiting structural solutions to end this cyclical problem.

African governments need to do much more in urban planning and land management

Aïda Diongue-Niang, Senegalese climatologist

This type of rain causes more problems than benefits. Much of the region depends heavily on the cultivation of cereals such as sorghum, wheat and corn, but the irregularity of the rains and their intensity cause the soil to be destroyed. The losses are considerable. According to the AMMA-2050 project, which analyses the impacts of climate change in the region, the yield of millet has fallen by between 10% and 20% and that of sorghum by between 5% and 10%.

“There are two areas where we can act. The first is global and is to reduce CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere, because it is scientifically proven that this is at the root of the global warming we are suffering. The second is local and consists of reducing the level of vulnerability of the population. To do this, African governments have to do much more in urban planning and land management, and the population must be aware of the risks and act accordingly, not occupying flood zones or keeping stormwater drainage channels clean, for example,” Diongue-Niang concludes.

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