Devastating floods have hit East Africa and extreme rainfall has wreaked havoc in several countries.
In recent weeks there have been dozens of deaths in the region related to torrential rains, which will peak in the coming days.
The situation has gotten so bad that last week Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, asked for international help to try to deal with the floods.
In Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, once-busy streets turned into rivers. According to the Kenya Red Cross, 35 people have died since mid-March.
The Nairobi River and the Athi River in Kenya Both have overflowed their banks, causing more than 40,000 people to be displaced since March.
The worst affected areas in Kenya are in Nairobi and Machakos County, which is just east of the city.
The floods have hit several countries hard, causing dozens of deaths and thousands of displaced people.
A group stands in the middle of floods in Machakos county, near Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Photo: Reuters
Residents walk through flooded waters after the Athi River overflowed its banks and abandoned their homes. Photo: Reuters
While extreme rainfall problems have persisted during this year’s March-May rainy season, they have worsened in recent days.
Edwin Sifuna, a member of the Kenyan Senate, shared a video showing an entire neighborhood flooded.
He said: “The situation in Nairobi has escalated to extreme levels. The county government, despite all its efforts, is clearly overwhelmed. We need all national emergency services to mobilize to save lives.”
In the video, the water almost reaches the roofs of some houses, while a group of Kenyans are seen seeking shelter on top of a house.
People are forced to cross deep waters after floods. Photo: Reuters
The Athi River was one of many that overflowed. Photo: Reuters
Machakos County, Kenya. Photo: Reuters
Climate experts have linked ongoing flooding in the region to the El Niño climate phenomenon.
Shocking images have emerged from Kenya showing the seriousness of the developing situation.
Jean Marie Sabushimike, a geographer and disaster management expert who teaches at the University of Burundi, said: “It must be said directly that these floods are associated with climate changes that affect Burundi as well as other countries in the region.”
In addition to climate change, the impact of flooding is exacerbated by poor land use, he added.
Residents try to recover their belongings in Nairobi after flooding. Photo: Reuters
Residents rest on top of a partially submerged van in the Kwa Mang’eli settlement of Machakos County. Photo: Reuters
In Burundi, where 80% of its 13 million people are employed in agriculture, which can be severely affected by flooding, rising waters in Lake Tanganyika caused flooding in the city of Bujumbura, the country’s economic capital.
Interior Minister Martin Niteretse previously said: “We are issuing this statement to ask our development partners to combine efforts with the state of Burundi to help all people affected by these disasters. We need that support.”
A major Bujumbura road, the Boulevard du Japon, has been completely flooded as extreme water levels created the surreal sight of rangers forced to enter the waterlogged Rusizi National Park by canoe.
Diana Awino with her cat inside her house abandoned in the floods in Nairobi’s Mathare Valley. Photo: Reuters
People wait for rescue help in Machakos County. Photo: Reuters
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Joachim Ntirampeba, a resident of Gatumba, a town near the Congo border, said that while he had seen flooding several times before, it had never been this bad.
In Somalia, four children are said to have died last week, while more than 800 have been displaced by flooding.
Of the four dead, three were children in Somaliland and the fourth was a six-year-old girl in Hirshabelle state.
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Tanzania has also been severely affected by flooding in recent weeks, with reports of more than 50 deaths.
However, the Kenya Meteorological Society has warned that the rains are expected to peak this week.
In addition to the threat to life, destruction of property and long-term damage, there are concerns that floods could lead to outbreaks of diarrhea and cholera.