Disaster and devastation have hit the Democratic Republic of Congo due to annihilating floods, which have claimed over 400 lives and left thousands homeless. About 5,500 people are still missing after the intense floods and landslides, and the flooding has destroyed homes, schools, and infrastructure, leaving many people with no access to clean water and food.
Ulrich Crepin Namfeibona, the Médecins Sans Frontières emergency coordinator in South Kivu, said that “There are some places that had houses, but you look at them now and can’t imagine that there was anything there before.”
Entire villages have disappeared due to “torrential rain,” along with fields of crops and livestock. Three-hour walks, or more, are done every day to evacuate other villages since the damaged pathways are no good for motorbikes. “Some of them have relatives in the other villages, but some go there without knowing anyone,” said Namfeibona.
Namfeibona expressed that his biggest concern was healthcare for the injured patients who suffered during the devastating incident due to the fact that in just one day, over 30 people required emergency surgery, but the hospitals around did not have the technical capacity to provide it.
According to reports from CNN and The Guardian, the floods have affected several areas in the country, including the capital city, Kinshasa, and other provinces in the central and eastern parts of the country, like Kalehe.
The flooding is believed to be a result of poor land management practices and climate change, which has caused increased rainfall and flooding in the region.
The tragedy in the Democratic Republic of Congo highlights the urgent need for better land management and infrastructure to prevent flooding and mitigate its impact. The country’s poor framework, including weak dams and drainage systems, exacerbates the effects of climate change and increases the risk of flooding.
Furthermore, the Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest rainforest, is also at risk due to deforestation and climate change, which threaten the ecosystem’s stability and exacerbate flooding. Deforestation in the region has increased dramatically in recent years due to logging, mining, and agriculture, which has destroyed the natural vegetation that plays a vital role in absorbing rainfall and preventing flooding.
The United Nations and other organizations have called for urgent action to address the impact of climate change and improve land management practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries in the region. The international community must provide support and resources to help affected communities, and prevent further loss of life.
The recent flooding in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a tragic reminder of the urgent need to address the impact of climate change and improve land management practices in the region. The international community should act quickly to support affected communities and prevent further loss of life and take steps to mitigate the effects of climate change to prevent such disasters from occurring in the future.
