September 9, 2006
Amhara's flood
Just got back from a trip to the flood-hit villages around Lake Tana (the source of the Blue Nile) in Ethiopia's central Amhara region.
Most of the coverage of the floods has focused on Dire Dawa and South Omo which were hit badly through August. But the rains are continuing to fall heavily around Lake Tana which is already badly swollen.
This is a part of Ethiopia which is relatively blessed the rest of the year with a ready supply of fish and lots of water for the fields. It is also stunningly beautiful and has the beginnings of a good tourism industry. Now whole villages are swamped in muddy torrents. People are either retreating to shelters on slightly higher ground or being taken to camps away from the lake edge, run by the government and supplied by the UN and NGOs.
The relief effort seems to be running relatively smoothly - although there was a shortage of blankets in villages around Gorgora on the northern bank of the lake.
The real worries will start when the drama of the flood fades. Farmers told us they needed seeds to replace their ruined crops. And long term, the pools of water that will remain after the flood retreats will make ideal breeding grounds for malaria-infected mosquitoes.
See more photos on Flickr.
Posted by aheavens at September 9, 2006 6:53 AM
Comments
I find your comment of August 28, 2006 entitled "reason to be happy #1" interesting. Are the Fish Nets, er, Mosquito Nets working? Neither the "Film Crew" nor the Freelancer were interested enough to comment on. Under certain circumstances the Nets can prevent the spread of Malaria. But among villagers grappling with total and abject poverty, even Mosquito Nets are commodities worth the trip to the village market. The village bedrooms will have to make do without drapes ( at least for now), mouths come first. Soon these Mosquito nets will go fishing, as fish nets of course, at lakes Zeway or Chamo. Report of success stories coming out of a southern African nation is not complete, as such, shouldn't be seen as model.
I was amused to learn how even your Alpine-wild good days failed to charm you from harping on and on about the rainy season. Let's hope in "reason to be happy #2" you will find something to humour you. I am not banking on it either.
Posted by: mergemtu bereket at September 9, 2006 11:29 PM