Kinshasa faces significant challenges as the Ndjili River overflows, causing stranding of drivers, damage to infrastructure, and loss of life.
Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has experienced severe flooding due to heavy rains, which have resulted in the deaths of at least 30 people and extensive destruction to homes and roads.
According to Provincial Health Minister Patricien Gongo, the death toll reported on Sunday is “provisional.” Most of the victims of the disaster were killed by collapsing walls, the minister added.
The Ndjili River, a critical waterway that passes through Kinshasa, a city home to nearly 17 million people, breached its banks on Friday night, engulfing the main national highway. This left many motorists stranded for hours, with some forced to spend the night in their vehicles.
“While driving back home from the airport to welcome a friend last night, we had to spend the night in the car because there was nowhere safe to park,” recounted Patricia Mikonga, a resident of Kinshasa, to Reuters news agency.
Numerous neighborhoods have been without electricity, and some are facing water supply issues.
Governor Daniel Bumba Lubaki of Kinshasa stated that the flooding damaged water infrastructure but assured residents that supplies would be restored within a few days. He also attributed some of the fatalities to unauthorized housing and warned that people living in unplanned settlements faced the risk of eviction, speaking on state television.
Raphael Tshimanga Muamba, an expert in hydrology, pointed out that human activities have exacerbated the river’s condition over time.
“These are man-made actions that lead to the degradation of rivers; their dimensions no longer match their original capacity to contain floods,” he explained to Reuters.
The recent flooding coincides with the country’s increasing instability, particularly due to conflict in the eastern regions of the country. Since the beginning of the year, the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have intensified their attacks in the region. These conflicts have led to the deaths of more than 7,000 people and the displacement of millions in recent months.
