Deadly floods are wreaking havoc in many parts of East Africa facing torrential rains, and Burundi is calling for international help to deal with the consequences of the floods.
Rising waters from Lake Tanganyika have flooded the port of Bujumbura, Burundi’s economic capital, disrupting business there and elsewhere in a country that relies heavily on donor support to run government programs.
“We make this statement to ask our development partners to join efforts with those of the State of Burundi to help all those affected by these disasters,” said Interior Minister Martin Niteretse on April 17. . We need this support. »
Between September and April 7, some 204,000 people were affected by the floods, and 19,250 homes and 210 classrooms were destroyed. The number of people internally displaced by flooding has increased by 25%, reaching more than 98,000, according to Violet Kenyana Kakyomya, the UN resident coordinator in Burundi.
Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 80% of its 13 million people working in agriculture, according to the World Bank.
The floods gave rise to surreal scenes, such as the entry by canoe of forest guards into the waterlogged Rusizi National Park. Boulevard du Japon, a major highway in Bujumbura, has been flooded in recent days.
According to climate experts, flooding in Burundi and elsewhere in the region is part of the extreme conditions linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon.
“It must be said directly that these floods are linked to climate change which is affecting Burundi like other countries in the region,” said Jean Marie Sabushimike, a geographer and disaster management expert who teaches at the University of Burundi.
If climate change is the trigger, the impact of flooding is exacerbated by poor land planning “which does not take into account areas at very high risk of flooding”, he added.
Rising waters from Lake Tanganyika caused the Kanyosha River to overflow, damaging houses and other property in Bujumbura. Some city residents were unable to return home — or leave.
In Kenya, 35 people have died since mid-March in floods that have affected more than 100,000 people, according to the United Nations, which cites Red Cross figures in its latest update.
Some residential areas of Nairobi, the capital, were flooded when rivers burst their banks overnight from Sunday to Monday.
Kenya’s government roads agency has warned Nairobi residents to avoid flooded highways, including the one leading to the coastal city of Mombasa. People living near the Nairobi River have been asked to move to higher ground.
Flooding and mudslides were also reported in western Kenya. In the northern region, a passenger bus was swept away by floodwaters on a bridge in early April, but disaster was averted after 51 passengers were rescued.
The Kenya Meteorological Department predicts that rainfall will peak this week.