Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
CHAD: Flood victims contend with thugs, cholera and hippos
WALIA, 17 November 2010 (IRIN) - Scores of families recently displaced by flooding in the Chadian capital N?djamena face a daily struggle against local thugs, wild animals, a lack of toilets and night winds that knock down makeshift tents.
The Chad government announced in late October that it would relocate thousands of people hit by flooding when the River Chari burst its banks, but any such move will take time; in the meantime families whose homes crumbled are just getting by - new hardships adding to what were already tough living conditions in their neighbourhood of Walia.
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Hygiene
One man pointed to a nearby ditch. ?Voil? - our toilet, Madame.? People have set up a couple of makeshift latrines in the tent area for urinating - piles of small rocks encircled by plastic mats or scraps of aluminum, but people defecate in the open. This is a concern, say health workers, as cholera has struck many areas of Chad including the capital. Cases have decreased sharply in recent weeks, "but we have to remain vigilant and continue prevention efforts," Salha Issoufou, emergency coordinator with M?decins Sans Fronti?res-France, told IRIN.
...
Hippos
Something else keeps the displaced families up at night: hippopotamuses. They often come up from the water and approach the tent area, residents said.
?Last night, no one slept,? Remadji said. ?Several hippos were right there near the tents and we had to chase them back towards the water. We need a fence or something to keep them away from us.?...
Full text:
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91116
Photo: Nancy Palus/IRIN
Residents of Walia wade or use makeshift bridges to get around
WALIA, 17 November 2010 (IRIN) - Scores of families recently displaced by flooding in the Chadian capital N?djamena face a daily struggle against local thugs, wild animals, a lack of toilets and night winds that knock down makeshift tents.
The Chad government announced in late October that it would relocate thousands of people hit by flooding when the River Chari burst its banks, but any such move will take time; in the meantime families whose homes crumbled are just getting by - new hardships adding to what were already tough living conditions in their neighbourhood of Walia.
...
Hygiene
One man pointed to a nearby ditch. ?Voil? - our toilet, Madame.? People have set up a couple of makeshift latrines in the tent area for urinating - piles of small rocks encircled by plastic mats or scraps of aluminum, but people defecate in the open. This is a concern, say health workers, as cholera has struck many areas of Chad including the capital. Cases have decreased sharply in recent weeks, "but we have to remain vigilant and continue prevention efforts," Salha Issoufou, emergency coordinator with M?decins Sans Fronti?res-France, told IRIN.
...
Hippos
Something else keeps the displaced families up at night: hippopotamuses. They often come up from the water and approach the tent area, residents said.
?Last night, no one slept,? Remadji said. ?Several hippos were right there near the tents and we had to chase them back towards the water. We need a fence or something to keep them away from us.?...
Full text:
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91116