Benin

About 57,000 people in the Oueme river valley community of Adjohoun, 60km east of Cotonou, are threatened with malnutrition and water-born diseases because of river flooding, which has wiped out more than 25,000 hectares of crop land, killed about 30,000 animals, flooded 18,000 homes, and has displaced about 2,000 people according to local authorities. Only the Awonou community has been spared flooding, thus far. The river started gradually over-spilling its banks in July 2008 when the season’s first storms hit, but did not gather force until about 10 days ago, said Gabriel Assogba from the town council. (IRIN)