Floods in ghana, Uganda and Burkina Faso have not affected libraries... yet

United Nations agencies on Tuesday warned that the worst floods seen in Ghana and other parts of Africa for decades could intensify in the coming days and appealed for international aid to avert the threat of disease.

About a million people have been affected by torrential rains stretching between West and East Africa since July, with Ghana and Uganda accounting for more than half the tally alone, the UN's humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) said.

Cases of cholera, dysentery and diarrhoea have been reported in northern Ghana, where 260,000 people were affected by floods and the death toll has risen to 32, OCHA spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told journalists.

Authorities there have declared a state of emergency and appealed for international help after bridges, homes and crops were destroyed, she added.