India, Sept. 2 -- The Shabelle River is being closely watched in Beledweyne, Somalia, where communities are preparing for potentially severe flooding after forecasts warned that a strong El Nino could bring heavy rainfall to the Ethiopian highlands upstream. The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) says the resulting river surge could exceed the scale of the devastating 2023 floods, which affected around 200,000 people.
Farmers Fear Another Destructive Flood
For residents living along the river, memories of the 2023 disaster remain vivid. Mohammed, a farmer, lost more than 200 fruit trees when floodwaters swept through his land. He has since rebuilt his irrigation system and constructed a riverbank wall, but the structure was designed for water l...