Action Against Hunger is calling on donors to step up and support families hit by floods in North Eastern Kenya due to the ongoing heavy rains.
The organisation, which has been at the forefront of emergency response in Isiolo and Mandera, has raised concern that the floods have led to the destruction of water sources and toilets.
This has led to an outbreak of diarrhoea among children below five years, as residents have turned to using contaminated water to survive.
According to Action Against Hunger, 34,845 households have been affected by floods in Mandera after Dawabroke River broke its banks.
Due to this, more than 9,400 farmers have been affected, more than 25,500 acres of farmland completely submerged, and 2,621 livestock have been killed.
As a result, flooded communities urgently need access to food, water, sanitation, hygiene services, shelter, and resources to support those displaced.
“So far, seven people have died in the flooding in Mandera, and there have been reports of gender-based violence among those displaced,” it said in a statement.
The floods have also led to the overflowing of 48 water reservoirs, 1,617 wells completely submerged, 33 health facilities and 3,225 latrines flooded.
“Mandera already faces a measles outbreak, and officials fear the spread of more diseases among both people and livestock,” the organisation warns.
The NGO paints a similar picture in Isiolo, saying more than 64,000 people have been impacted by the floods leaving hundreds displaced after the Ewaso Nyiro River overflowed.
The river has overflowed, destroying roads and cutting entire villages off from markets, medical supplies, and other essential services.
Homes, farms, and water sources have also been devastated, leaving families at high risk of hunger and water-borne diseases, the NGO has warned.
“We are living inside the toilet, the water you can see flowing in our houses is mixed with human waste,” a village elder from Merti subcounty told emergency responders.
Action against Hunger has been distributing water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to families affected by floods.
It is also helping to decontaminate water and rebuild latrines, providing cholera prevention kits in hotspots, as well as distributing mattresses, mosquito nets, and tarps to serve as temporary shelters for families displaced by the floods.