At the confluence of the Chari and Logone rivers, the capital of Chad, N'Djamena is caught between torrential rains and the waters of the rivers. At the beginning of October 2024, the Chari River was at 8.18 meters, one meter higher than in 2022, the date of the last catastrophic flood. Like many cities in the Sahel, N'Djamena is suffering from the effects of climate change.
Torrential rains and flooding have killed 576 people and left 1.9 million homeless in the country since July 2024, according to data collected by humanitarian organizations. Chad had not experienced such a disaster since the 1960s.
In 2022, with one neighborhood after another taking on water, people had fled the floods, some clinging to patches of land along roads while others were moving away from the capital in search of the arid lands. The obsolete water piping and dike infrastructure was no longer functioning.
This time, the Chadian capital held up better. In response to the government's request, the Integrated Flood Control and Urban Resilience Project (PILIER) supported by the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's arm for low-income countries, made a difference.
In effect since October 2023 to support N'Djamena and effectively deal with the floods, an emergency plan of about $13 million (CFAF 8 billion) has been put in place to anticipate the possibility of significant flooding in 2024.
Between April and September 2024, thanks to the Pillar project, the entire 250 km water drainage network, as well as all outfalls on the Chari River, were cleaned and emptied of the sludge and waste accumulated over the years. Damaged roads have also been reprofiled to improve drainage. These operations have been instrumental in facilitating the flow of runoff. In the memory of N'Djamenois, it was the first time that the entire network had been cleaned. In addition, large-capacity motor pumps delivered by the project to the municipality of N'Djamena allowed water to flow from the city to the river through the cleaning of drainage canals that had been carried out just before the rains by the PILIER project.
These contributions from the PILIER project “have enabled us to empty the rainwater retention basins and facilitate the drainage of water thanks to the cleaning work carried out by the project since June,” says Sarmadji Oumar, director of roads at the capital's city hall. “Today we escaped disastrous floods. In 2022, on this date we had more than 70,000 people, or 15,114 households affected by the floods. We saved the furniture [this time] with less than 3,000 households and fewer neighborhoods impacted.”
Indeed, thanks to motorized pumps, equipped with wheels and mobile, the road crews monitored the rising water like milk on the fire: “We were on the lookout. At the first alarm, we had to jump in the vehicle to intervene,” says Abakar Moustapha, a road officer in N'Djamena. “We took turns day and night,” adds his colleague Yves Allaramadji.
In addition, in addition to the interventions of the Pillar project, the government, with its own budget, has worked on the raising of emergency dikes as well as the riprap of vulnerable points along the Chari River in the 7th and 9th districts of the capital. These interventions have made it possible to contain a historic, even century-old flood of the Chari River.
Sheikh Adam Ismail, imam of the Idara Mosque in the 5th arrondissement never ceases to thank heaven. Dressed in a white boubou with a salt and pepper beard, the monk testifies: “It's been about ten years since we've seen machines from the town hall cleaning canals. This year, access to the mosque is easy for worshippers.”
Sitting in front of her vegetable stall, Rémadji Aline, a vendor at a market in the 7th arrondissement of N'Djamena, applauds the operation to clean up the drainage canals. “Before, in this season, there were no crowds and there was a lack of sales. We have seen that despite the heavy rains, customers are reaching the market.”
The Pillar Contingency Plan does more than just reduce flood risk. It also includes emergency response activities. Indeed, the project seeks to finance the delivery of emergency response equipment to floods, including canoes, communication equipment, and life jackets made available to the authorities. Drinking water and waste management stations, emergency kits consisting of mats, blankets, kitchen utensils and medicines are also prepared for potential disaster victims. Finally, Pilier has entered into financing agreements with neighborhood associations and non-governmental organizations for flood risk awareness and the rehabilitation of schools and health centers that have been flooded or occupied by the victims.
