Several families have been forced to evacuate their homes in Hiiraan region after the Shabelle River overflowed due to heavy rainfall in the region and southern Ethiopian highlands, where the river originates.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Somali Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM), the river levels at Belet Weyne have steadily increased from 6.38m on 26th April to 7.90m as of yesterday, posing a high flood risk level.
As a result, hundreds of families have been packing their household items into different types of transport to move to higher ground in Beletweyne.
This flooding exacerbates the perennial displacement, property destruction, and deaths experienced in Beletweyne town, despite attempts by the government and NGOs to establish a permanent solution to the Shabelle River challenge.
