DRC floods kill at least 169
Kanako Mita and Noriko Watanabe
Modern Tokyo Times
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was hit by severe heavy rain. Flooding followed the downpours. Therefore, many people have been killed and homes destroyed.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) declared that the capital Kinshasa wasn’t spared the severe heavy downpours. Hence, the OCHA said the death toll is currently 169 people.
Mont-Ngafula and Ngaliema districts were especially hit hard. The OCHA said, “The Government has confirmed that it will organize a dignified and secure burial of those who have lost their lives.”
The BBC reports, “Entire neighborhoods were flooded with muddy water, and houses and roads ripped apart by sinkholes, including the N1 highway that connects the capital to the country’s main port of Matadi.”
Kinshasa is home to approximately 15 million people. This is a huge increase compared with the past. Therefore, the River Congo is being further utilized and neighborhoods have developed nearer.
Longombo Dieudonné – a member of the Red Cross rescue team, reported to the BBC – “One of the main reasons why this is happening is because of the poor housing, and poor planning.“
Dieudonné continued, “When it rains, there is no path for water to flow because people have blocked drainage paths with their houses, and water will find any path to move.”
The DRC is blighted by various wars, terrorism, ethnic conflicts, and an array of health issues that are collectively taking a heavy toll.
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi’s website and Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON TWITTER
https://twitter.com/MTT_News Modern Tokyo Times
PLEASE JOIN ON FACEBOOK