Ethiopia unveils national flood backup plan

Ethiopia has unveiled a national flood backup plan aimed at preventing such disasters, providing adequate responses and rehabilitating victims of such misfortunes.The plan was announced at the urgent meeting of the national watershed council, formed by the combination of three authorities and two ministries, on Wednesday that deliberated and identified possible ways of preventing recurrent floods in the country.

During the discussion, the council identified major flood-prone areas in Ethiopia as well as estimated the number of people routinely exposed to flooding.

According to them, more than 400,000 people across the country could be exposed to flooding while over 180,000 could also be displaced by such disaster.

Based on this estimate, close to $9523 has been put aside for emergency response and rehabilitation activities by the government.

Speaking at the event, the chairman of the council, Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, said the plan was prepared because all regional states and the two city administrations are at risk of flooding due to climate change.

It comes almost two weeks after Ethiopia and over 150 countries signed up to an international climate change agreement significantly cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.