At least 8,000 families have been affected with around 2000 people displaced in lakeside communities after recent flooding from the rising waters of Lake Tanganyika at the port of Bujumbura in Burundi.
The lakeside communities include Bugarama, Kanyenkoko, Muhuta, Nyanza-Lac, Gatumba, Rukaramu, Kibenga, Gisyo and Kabondo in the province of Bujumbura Rural, roughly 12 km outside the city.
This is according to an April 25 report by The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) which shows that the number of people affected could most probably rise as flooded houses continue to collapse.
The lake’s levels have been slowly rising since February 2021 and stood at 776.45 metres above sea level as of April 19, as on that night, torrential rains caused the banks of the Ruzizi River to overflow.
Eye witnesses living in Gatumba says the waters have flooded homes since January, but they started little by little in November and December adding that Children have to use boats to go to school.
Local experts have warned the media that if the lake’s levels exceed 777 metres, areas around Bujumbura port will also see flooding.
Heavy rainfall since the start of April has worsened the situation with further rainfall predicted until mid-May
Also, strong winds and landslides have also affected hundreds of people in other parts of the country, the majority of whom are now displaced.
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