Severe floods hit 760,000 people in West and Central Africa

FILE PHOTO: Residents walk through a flooded street after last week's heavy rains in Keur Massar, Senegal September 8, 2020. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Nigerien student Hachimou Abdou has had to catch a boat to classes since river water swamped his route to university in the capital Niamey - one of about 760,000 people hit by severe flooding in recent weeks in parts of West and Central Africa.

Floods are common during the rainy season, but in recent years climate change, land degradation and poor urban planning have led to more frequent disasters as rapidly-growing cities struggle with heavier-than-normal rainfall.