Mitigando inundaciones en campos de desplazados en el norte de Nigeria

The social unrest in Nigeria, which began in 2009 in Nigeria’s Northern State of Borno, combined with counter-insurgency operations and communal clashes over scarce resources, has led to significant displacement in the region. More than 2.9 million people in the country are IDPs, causing Nigeria to be ranked among the top 10 countries with the highest number of people displaced due to conflict and violence in the world.

The approximately 700 formal and informal settlements that host the IDPs experience frequent flooding, which poses a major source of water insecurity in the region. To reduce the risk and mitigate the consequences of flooding in and around the camps, and to promote sustainable WASH services, IOM is investing in improving the drainage conditions.

As part of the project “Re-Design of Displacement Camps based on Flood and Drainage Modelling Study for Maiduguri area “, rapid assessment models and visualization tools were developed in 1 month to prioritize and design effective drainage systems for selected priority camps. Global open-source data and models (HydroMT) were combined with AI and ParTerra algorithms. The resulting flood model (D-Flow FM) is displayed in a dashboard to visualize the results in ways that are tailor-made and easy to understand.

Towards Resilient Camps

Knowing which IDP camps are most frequently and severely flooded is critical to reduce water insecurities in the camps in a timely, cost-efficient, effective and sustainable manner. The project helps prioritize the types and locations of interventions best suited to local conditions. In Maiduguri, a new drainage network is under construction, expected to lead to a 16% reduction in flooding in the camp.