Thousands suffer from flooding in the south

Ethiopian authorities have begun to deliver humanitarian aid to thousands of people affected by flooding along the banks of the Awash River in the south of the country, the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA) said on Wednesday.

"The river has been increasing its flow since 12 July and has now flooded some of its banks," said Ato Teshome Erkineh, head of early warning at the DPPA. "Not much physical damage has been done so far, but thousands of people are living in flooded areas. Local authorities are advising them to move away to avoid contracting diseases."

There were fears that the flooding could get worse since it was still raining in the area, said Teshome, but the DPPA had sent food, plastic sheets for shelter, blankets and a boat to help 15,700 people estimated to have been affected.

"Some people have already been displaced from their homes," he told IRIN. "Others don't want to move yet but water has flooded their area. If the rains continue, the damage will be much worse."

A DPPA team was in the area, in the West Shoa zone of Oromiya regional state, about 230 km south of the capital, Addis Ababa, the DPPA said. The 1,200 km river is the longest in the country.

"The agency's officials and other government officials visited the area by helicopter on Tuesday to gather information on how to evacuate the people without casualties," the DPPA added. Evacuations, it added, could start on Wednesday in collaboration with the Ethiopian defence ministry.

In April, the Awash River flooded its banks, washing away villages and killing hundreds of livestock. Thousands of people were affected by the flooding.