Extreme rainfall in east Africa has led to dozens of deaths in recent weeks, with Burundi appealing for international aid, while in Kenya the streets of the capital turned into rivers.
With Kieren Williams, news reporter
Wednesday 24 April 2024 18:58, United Kingdom
Devastating floods have hit eastern Africa, with extreme rainfall wreaking havoc in many countries.
Dozens of deaths have been reported in the region in recent weeks due to torrential rains, which are expected to peak in the coming days.
The situation has worsened so much that last week, Burundi – one of the world’s poorest countries – asked for international help to try to deal with the floods.
In Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, once busy roads have turned into rivers. 35 people have died since mid-March, according to the Kenyan Red Cross.
Nairobi River and Athi River in Kenya Both burst their banks, displacing more than 40,000 people since March.
The worst affected areas of Kenya are in Nairobi and Machakos County, which is just east of the city.
While the issues of extreme rainfall continue during this year’s rainy season from March to May, they have taken a turn for the worse 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 for all its efforts is clearly overwhelmed. We need all the national emergency services to mobilize to save lives.”
In the video, the water is almost up to the roofs of some houses, while a group of Kenyans appear to have sought shelter on top of a house.
Climate experts have linked the ongoing flooding across the region to the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Shocking images have emerged from Kenya, showing the seriousness of the unfolding situation.
Jean Marie Sabushimike, a geographer and disaster management expert who teaches at the University of Burundi, said: “It has to be said straight out that these floods are linked to climate change that is affecting 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.
In Burundi, where 80% of its 13 million people work in flood-prone agriculture, rising waters of Lake Tanganyika flooded the city of Bujumbura – the nation’s financial capital.
Interior Minister Martin Niteretse said earlier: “We are issuing this statement to ask our development partners to join efforts with the Burundian state to help all the people affected by these disasters. We need that support.”
A major highway in Bujumbura, Boulevard du Japon, has been completely flooded as extreme water levels created the surreal sight of rangers being forced to enter the waterlogged Rusizi National Park in a canoe.
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Joachim Ntirampeba, a resident of Gatumba, a village near the border with Congo, said that while he had seen floods many times before, they had never been this bad.
In Somalia, four children have reportedly died in the past week as more than 800 have been displaced by floods.
Of the four dead, three were young boys in Somaliland and the fourth was a six-year-old girl in Hirshabel State.
Tanzania has also been hit hard by floods in recent weeks, with reports of more than 50 deaths.
However, the Kenya Meteorological Agency has warned that the rains are expected to peak this week.
Along with the threat to life, property destruction and long-term damage, there are concerns that the floods could lead to outbreaks of diarrhea and cholera.