Some 5,000 people have been stranded for three days now by floods in central Ethiopia after the Awash River burst its banks following a week of heavy rains, the Ethiopian Herald newspaper said Friday.
The paper said that the floods, which had so far not caused any casualties, had hit six communities in Dubti, about 640 kilometers northeast of the capital, Addis Ababa.
More than 500 workers have fled from flooded camps at one commercial farm, where a 500-hectare cotton plantation was under flood waters, the paper quoted local officials as saying.
The officials said that Awash Drainage Administration had built a seven-meter high dike to prevent flooding, but it could not withstand water levels, which had reached a record-high 8.95 meters.
However, efforts were being made to prevent further damage through the deployment of 12 earth moving machines and dump trucks, the officials said.
Last year, the river flooded a vast area in its basin, displacing 5,000 people and causing damage estimated at 30 million birr (about 3.6 million dollars) -- ADDIS ABABA (AFP)
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