BELEDWEYNE, Somalia – The Shabelle River, which runs through Baledweyne, has begun to overflow its banks in some villages, sparking panic and fear among residents in the city.
According to the city’s authorities, some parts of Koshin and Hawa Taako neighborhoods were flooded on Saturday afternoon. This comes amid heavy Deyr rains in Somalia.
There has been mass displacement in the past few days as people were afraid of the river flooding that could cause dire situations as seen in the past years.
There is also a strong fear that the river will flood parts of Bundaweyn and Howlwadaag neighborhoods in the coming hours.
The flood forced many people to flee to the higher land, including the Eljale neighborhood where the Baledweyne airport is located. The UN is warning El Nino in the country.
Heavy rainfall in parts of the Ethiopian highlands have led to the Shabelle River bursting its banks downstream in Somalia, with communities in Beledweyne frantically trying to stem the floodwater with sandbags.
