River in flood-hit Chad's capital surges to record level

River in flood-hit Chad's capital surges to record level

The Logone river in Chad's capital has risen to its highest level in 30-40 years, the authorities said on Wednesday, threatening further turmoil to a country that has been battling devastating nationwide floods for weeks.

West and Central Africa's annual monsoon has swept parts of the region with above-average downpours this rainy season, triggering widespread floods. Chad is the worst-hit with 1.9 million people affected across much of the country as of Oct. 5, according to the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA.

By Wednesday morning, the Logone river had swelled even higher than forecast, hitting 8.18 meters. "This is a record not seen for at least 30 to 40 years," said the head of the National Meteorology Agency, Sakine Youssouf.

Prime Minister Allah Maye Halina chaired a meeting of the national flood management committee on Wednesday to agree an action plan to respond to the floods, which he said had hit eight of the capital N'Djamena's 10 districts and 17 out of 23 of Chad's provinces.