Burundi Flooding Crisis: Thousands Displaced by Rising Waters of Lake Tanganyika and Rusizi River

Floodwaters from Lake Tanganyika and the Rusizi River have displaced thousands of people in Burundi, plunging communities into a state of crisis. Villages on the lake’s shores are among the most severely affected, with residents forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in makeshift shelters under dire conditions. Host communities, already burdened by limited resources, are struggling to provide for the influx of displaced families.

Carolyne Bii of CGTN first reported on this unfolding humanitarian crisis, shedding light on the plight of those caught in the devastating wake of flooding.

In the town of Gatumba, located in Bujumbura’s Mutimbuzi commune, the effects of climate change have been acutely felt for nearly a decade. Rising waters have submerged entire villages and parts of the town, forcing residents to evacuate to temporary camps. These camps, however, offer no respite from hardship, as described by Suzanne Ntakarutimana, one of the displaced residents.

“We fled from the water that destroyed our houses. A Samaritan put us up here. We can’t go home because the water is up to our chests—the river burst its banks. It’s impossible to rebuild. Here, we don’t have enough to eat and very little to wear. We’re outside, and when it rains, we all get wet,” she shared.

The situation is worsening as water levels continue to rise, with many host families already strained beyond capacity. The displaced, like Niyibizi Pascasie, recount the heartbreak of seeing their homes destroyed not once but multiple times.

“We were invaded by water. We had to look for a dryer place. A neighbor gave us this space in the Mushasha 1 neighborhood. We’ve been here for five years, but then it rained again, and the water flooded the whole neighborhood. This time, it even washed away our house. Now we have nothing to rebuild with,” Pascasie lamented.

Residents and local leaders are calling on the government to construct a dyke to mitigate the flooding. Gerard Shamuruvugo, a camp leader who lost his retirement savings to the floods, emphasized the need for long-term solutions.

“The government should build a dyke. After that, Gatumba will be saved. Otherwise, our area, particularly Mushasha 1, will remain submerged,” Shamuruvugo stated.

Authorities acknowledge the scale of the problem but note that constructing a dyke would require substantial funding, likely from international donors. While relocation has been proposed, displaced families—some of whom have moved repeatedly over the years—are demanding permanent solutions.

Burundi’s experience echoes the challenges faced by other nations grappling with extreme weather events. Torrential rains triggered by the El Niño phenomenon last April and May further compounded the crisis, displacing even more people. According to the United Nations, more than 306,000 people in Burundi currently require emergency humanitarian assistance due to floods and other disasters.

This crisis underscores the urgent need for sustainable measures to address climate-induced disasters in vulnerable regions, where the human cost of inaction grows with each passing year.

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