The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Related Articles
By: Reuters
Authorities report that the Congo River, reaching its highest level in over six decades, has triggered extensive flooding in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo, resulting in the loss of more than 300 lives over the past months.
Inadequate urban planning and fragile infrastructure in certain African nations have left them susceptible to sudden floods following intense rains, a phenomenon escalating due to climate change.
Ferry Mowa, a hydrology specialist with the DRC riverways authority, issued warnings in late December about the elevated water level, cautioning that nearly the entire flood plain in the capital, Kinshasa, situated along the riverbanks, could be affected.
As of Wednesday, the river reached a height of 6.20 meters above sea level, just below the 1961 record of 6.26 meters, according to Mowa. He noted that the flooding resulted from exceptionally heavy inland rainfall.
Mowa stressed the urgency for residents living near the river to relocate: “It is imperative that people who live around the river move.”
Numerous neighborhoods in densely populated Kinshasa, as well as communities in over a dozen provinces, have been submerged, leading to nearly 300 casualties and affecting 300,000 households. Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed, as reported by the social affairs ministry last week.
In the neighboring Republic of Congo, where the capital Brazzaville also lies along the riverbanks, floods have claimed at least 17 lives across eight departments, including the capital, affecting over 60,000 households, according to authorities.
In the absence of a flood disaster prevention plan, residents in affected areas resort to using shovels to navigate flooded streets, with water reaching roof levels in some homes. The floodwaters have also carried a deluge of plastic bottles and debris, causing blockages in the streets.
Helene, a resident in the Ngaliema municipality in western Kinshasa, expressed the unprecedented nature of the event, stating, “I’ve lived in this neighborhood since I was born and I’ve never experienced such an event, but I don’t have the means to go and live elsewhere.”
Raphael Tshimanga Muamba, director of a Congo Basin research center in the DRC, called for a dedicated fund to manage natural disasters and adapt to climate change, emphasizing the lack of a flood disaster prevention plan in the DRC.
Climate activist Ketsia Passou, 18, expressed surprise at the authorities’ silence in aiding affected families: “What surprises me the most is the silence of the authorities in helping these families who are suffering the effects of climate change.”
DRC’s social and humanitarian affairs minister, Modeste Mutinga, announced plans for a meeting on Thursday to evaluate further humanitarian aid.
