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Rising waters cause serious flooding in Burundi

Pays
Burundi
Sources
OCHA
Date de publication
Origine
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Burundi is among 20 countries in the world most susceptible to climate change, and most of its humanitarian needs are caused by recurring climate-related disasters. Since 2018, 445 natural disasters in Burundi have affected nearly 270,000 people, 100,000 of whom were displaced.

Rising temperatures in oceans have disrupted rainfall in many countries, and Burundi is no exception. Its rainy seasons are now increasingly challenging for vulnerable populations. The rains bring life and are necessary for agriculture, but the seasonal excess or lack of rain also contribute to increasing humanitarian needs.

Lake Tanganyika, Africa’s second-largest lake, is shared between Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Zambia. Its water levels have risen significantly, partly due to abnormal rainfall in the region. Rusizi River, which flows into the lake near Bujumbura, regularly overflows. According to official numbers, an estimated 800,000 people in Burundi live in coastal areas along the lake, but entire neighbourhoods along the lake’s coastline and at the mouth of Rusizi River are submerged almost every year in Bujumbura, Bujumbura Mairie, Makamba and Rumonge Provinces.

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