Floods

Last week I joked on Facebook that I had experienced 'a flood' when the water heater in the apartment above me malfunctioned. The water was several centimetres deep upstairs and was starting to come through my ceiling.

Whilst I went through this minor inconvenience that, with the help of three colleagues, took about an hour to sort out many other residents of N'Djamena have not been so fortunate. Following the rains further south the Chari river that runs through the city has broken its banks and flooded large areas. Estimates suggest that over 25,000 people have been displaced as a result and included in this number are two of our guards.

Zam and Jean are related in some way that no one seems able to explain and lived in the same neighbourhood until their homes were flooded last week. Along with their immediate families they are now living with other relatives. As the waters start to recede they are planning to return to where their homes once stood to rebuild and start again. As I talk to them with my limited French I am struck by their different responses. Zam who is older seems accepting of the situation and determined to rebuild his home, whereas Jean who is younger and recently married has lost much of his usual 'sparkle'. He has a great smile that lights up his whole face but I haven't seen that for a while now.

It is apparently not an unusual occurrence for the river to flood, although this year it has been particularly bad. Each time it happens the President says that the people must move away from the river but a permanent solution has not yet been found. Zam, Jean and the majority of those affected by the floods have lived in this area all their lives and as much as they don't want to live somewhere that is so susceptible to flooding being forcibly relocated to another part of the city is not what they want either.

Footnote: The French word for flood is 'inondation' - Zam and Jean certainly know what it is like to be inundated by water.