BUJUMBURA, Burundi — Deadly floods are wreaking havoc in many parts of East Africa facing torrential rains, and the poor nation of Burundi is calling for international help to deal with the consequences.
The rising waters of Lake Tanganyika have invaded the port of Bujumbura, Burundi’s economic capital, disrupting businesses there and in other parts of the country that rely heavily on donor support to run government programs.
“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,” Interior Minister Martin Niteretse said on April 17. “We need that support.”
Niteretse spoke in Bujumbura alongside Violet Kenyana Kakyomya, UN Resident Coordinator in Burundi.
Between September and April 7, some 203,944 people were affected by flooding, with 19,250 homes and 209 classrooms destroyed during that time. According to Kakyomya, the number of people internally displaced by the floods increased by 25%, reaching more than 98,000 people.
Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world and 80% of its 13 million people are employed in agriculture, according to the World Bank.
The flooding there has created surreal scenes, such as that of rangers entering the flooded Rusizi National Park in a canoe. The Boulevard du Japon, a major road in Bujumbura, has been completely flooded in recent days.
Climate experts say the flooding in Burundi and elsewhere in the region is part of extreme conditions linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon.
“It must be said directly that these floods are associated with climate changes that affect Burundi as well as other countries in the region,” said Jean Marie Sabushimike, a geographer and disaster management expert who teaches at the University of Burundi.
While climate change is the trigger, the impact of flooding is exacerbated by poor land use planning “that does not take into account areas with very high risk of flooding,” he said.
Rising waters from Lake Tanganyika have caused the Kanyosha River to overflow, damaging homes and other property in Bujumbura. Some in the city have not been able to return to their homes or leave.
Joachim Ntirampeba, a resident of the village of Gatumba, near the border with Congo, said that while he had seen many floods over the years, this time “it is terrible.”
He said it’s “the first time” he’s seen such heavy flooding.
Meanwhile, in Kenya, 35 people have died since mid-March in floods that have affected more than 100,000 people, according to the UN, which cites Red Cross figures in the most recent update.
Flooding has been reported in residential areas of Nairobi, the capital, as rivers burst their banks on Sunday night.
Kenya’s government agency in charge of roads warned Nairobi residents to avoid flooded roads, including one leading to the coastal city of Mombasa. Those living along the Nairobi River are urged to move to higher ground.
Flooding and landslides have also been reported in western Kenya. In the northern region, a passenger bus was swept away by floodwaters on a bridge in early April, and disaster was averted after 51 passengers were rescued.
Kenya’s meteorological department predicts that rainfall will peak this week.
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Musambi reported from Nairobi, Kenya.