Mahaday, Middle Shabelle – Dozens of families in northern Mahaday district, Middle Shabelle, are trapped and isolated after the Shabelle River burst its banks in late September, flooding entire villages and washing away farmland. The swollen waters have swallowed homes, destroyed crops, and forced many families to flee to higher ground, leaving behind everything they owned.

For those who stayed, life has turned into a daily struggle for survival. Access to clean drinking water has vanished as wells were contaminated by floodwaters, and food supplies are rapidly running out. With electricity poles submerged and roads impassable, the once-bustling rural communities have been plunged into darkness and silence, cut off from the rest of the region.

Local farmers, who depend entirely on the Shabelle River for irrigation, now face a cruel irony—the same river that sustains them has become their greatest threat. Banana and maize plantations, the backbone of their livelihoods, have been devastated. Many fear that even after the water recedes, the damage to the soil and the loss of harvests will take months, if not years, to recover.

The crisis in Mahaday is a stark reminder of how climate change is intensifying Somalia’s vulnerability. The country, already burdened by drought and insecurity, has been facing unpredictable weather patterns—long dry spells followed by sudden, destructive floods. For communities along the Shabelle, this new reality means constantly rebuilding what nature repeatedly takes away.

Humanitarian workers in the region say that the immediate needs are shelter, clean water, and emergency food aid. However, they warn that short-term relief will not be enough. Without long-term investment in flood control, riverbank protection, and climate adaptation measures, the people of Middle Shabelle will continue to live on the edge—waiting for the next flood to come.

For now, stranded families in Mahaday can only watch the muddy river surge past their submerged fields, praying that help will reach them before the waters rise again.