Devastating floods have killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands across East Africa and are now inundating parts of the Masai Mara, one of Africa’s largest wildlife national reserves.
The Telek River burst its banks and spilled into parts of the nature reserve on Wednesday, flooding many tourist campsites. Munir Ahmed, a spokesman for the Kenya Red Cross, said more than 90 people had been evacuated, some by helicopter. Others escaped from the water.
“The situation in the Masai Mara is very bad,” said Daniel Ikayo, the owner of a hunting company operating there. “There’s water everywhere.”
Flooding in protected areas has exacerbated severe damage to Kenya’s key economic resources, including livestock, crops and infrastructure.
“We are witnessing a disaster unfolding,” said Bryan Adkins, director of a trust that helps protect the Kijabe forest, which was also devastated by the floods.
Mohammed Hussey, director of a hunting company and former chairman of the Kenya Tourism Federation, said only parts of the Masai Mara were affected. But the country’s tourism minister, Alfred Mutua, warned on Wednesday that all hotels and campsites near rivers and within national parks and reserves should be prepared for possible evacuations in the event the rivers flood.
Kenya’s long rainy season, From April to June, it’s not exactly prime time for travel, but now people there are finding their plans disrupted. “People don’t want to come here and drive on the lake,” Mr. Adkins said.
The Telek River straddles the “Great Migration” route from Tanzania’s Serengeti to the Masai Mara, where more than a million wildebeest and zebras cross from July to October, attracting visitors from all over the world. Thousands of tourists.
Flash floods inundated Kenya’s southern Rift Valley region on Monday, killing at least 45 people, washing away homes and destroying roads. A total of 179 people have died in Kenya since the floods, with many more across East Africa. Flooding in neighboring Tanzania has been particularly deadly.
With rains expected to continue, Kenya’s president’s office on Wednesday issued an evacuation order to people living in dangerous areas such as near rivers, dams and reservoirs, requiring them to evacuate within 48 hours. More than 30,000 people have been displaced.
Mr Ahmed of the Red Cross said a total of 45 roads and more than 370 water sources had been destroyed, with more than 600 businesses and 35,000 acres of crops affected. Local residents say people who made a living from small businesses such as avocado farms or tractor businesses have lost their livelihoods.
What the final economic impact of this year’s flooding might be is unclear, but according to a recent report by the Africa Climate Foundation, climate change-related events such as floods and droughts caused the country to lose 3% of its GDP from 2010 to 2010. to 5%.
The report says the frequency and intensity of such events are likely to increase.
Forecasters from the Kenya Meteorological Service warned on Wednesday that “rainfall intensity will surge in several parts of the country from Thursday into the weekend”.
Judson Jones Reporting from New York.
