Rain clouds looming on the horizon causes panic among the inhabitants of Kirungwe. The rains that have fallen since Sunday, December 9, in locality of Ruziba I neighborhood, Kanyosha zone south of the capital Bujumbura, traumatize them.
One of the destroyed houses
Thirteen homes were completely destroyed, several others flooded are about to collapse. Kitchen utensils, household goods were taken away or damaged and latrines overflowed. Plantations of maize, cassava and beans were washed away by the rainwater to Lake Tanganyika. The whole neighborhood is muddy and blocks any traffic.
Holding a hoe in her hand to clear the mud in front of the house, a little girl exclaims, “Here again rain cloud are gathering on the horizon to make the situation worse”. Another woman covered with mud on her legs deplores that the toilets are overflowed. Everyone in the community says it’s the first time that such heavy rains fell. “It has always been rainy but the rains have never been so plentiful until they cause such damage,” says an old man.
Audifax Nahimana, an auto mechanic is shocked to see his new house collapsing. Nahimana does not see which saint to turn to. Living in Kanyosha area in a rented house, he had obtained a credit of BIF 4, 3 million to build his own house. “Construction work was over, I was going to install my family,” says Nahimana adding that he can’t afford rent or build another house, especially since “I must first repay the credit.”
Ramadhan Ntakanyuma, chief of Kirungwe area asks the government to assist the victims of these floods. He calls for the channeling of the Kirungwe River, redirecting it if necessary to the Mugere River. This administrative official adds that there is a need to disinfect overflowed latrines to prevent the population from catching infectious diseases.
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