Reuters AlertNet Lite - BURUNDI: Floods displace thousands north of Bujumbura

Reuters AlertNet Full site

NEWSDESK

BURUNDI: Floods displace thousands north of Bujumbura

14 Apr 2009 11:22:06 GMT
Source: IRIN

Background

• South East Asia Monsoon

• Children

• Burundi transition

• Floods

BUJUMBURA, 14 April 2009 (IRIN) - Rain-induced floods have displaced over 8,000 people in a commune north of Bujumbura, the Burundian capital, and damaged at least 1,200 houses as well as crops, an official has said.

"The rains have destroyed many houses and crops; others are still flooded," Moise Ndayisenga, the administrator of Buterere Commune, said.

More rain fell on 12 April in Buterere - a low-lying area - but the displacement and damage caused has not been fully assessed because some locations are still inaccessible, the official said.

At Maramvya, a settlement in Buterere, another downpour on 12 April displaced 450 households and destroyed at least 100 homes, he said, adding: "Half of Buterere Commune's population might become destitute."

Flood waters had reached areas that were previously unaffected, "even moving down a road leading to Bujumbura International Airport," he said.

Claude Niyonzima, one of those affected in Buterere, said water had risen to a depth of more than a metre, flooding homes: "The rains attacked the mud bricks of my house, turning them into watery paste before my house collapsed."

Sifa Nzeyimana, 36, a mother of three, said: "My old mattress, dishes, clothes and my cassava flour have been damaged by the rains."

The displaced have been depending on charity for shelter and food.

"I sought shelter from a friend. I am on good terms with my neighbours; one gives me this dish today and the other gives me another dish tomorrow; and we live like that," Nzeyimana said.

Sienu Ntakirutimana, another Buterere resident, said she had lost all her property, including a little money she had saved to feed her five children, who were now uncertain where the next meal would come from.

"Sometimes we get a little food from friends or neighbours, other times we spend the day or night without eating," she said.

Ntakirutimana said she had become separated from some of her children as they had not been able to find adequate shelter for the whole family: "I left four of my five children with other neighbours whose houses were not destroyed, though this is painful to me."

Poor drainage

Residents said the situation had been exacerbated by the absence of drainage channels. "The rains will cause more damage if no channels are built to let the water flow away," Emmanuel Nsengiyumva, another displaced person, said as he scooped water out of his home.

The nearby River Kinyankonge burst its banks, as it has in previous rainy seasons, causing more suffering to residents who have appealed for a bridge to be built over the river and for the digging of drains.

Jean Marie Sabushimike, a professor of geography at the University of Burundi, called for "an urgent plan for preventing such natural hazards".

In efforts to prevent an outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery, Red Cross officials have been spraying Buterere villages, where pit latrines have been destroyed by the flood waters.

Government officials have also responded to the flooding in Buterere, with Immaculée Nahayo, minister for national solidarity, visiting the displaced and distributing maize flour, blankets and kitchen utensils.

Nahayo said the government would provide iron sheeting for those whose homes had been destroyed.

bn-jb/js/cb

Email this article Send comments

Topics

• Floods

• Children

• Refugees & displacement

MORE >>

Emergencies

• Burundi transition

MORE >>

NGO latest

• G20 summit is 'ray of hope' for world's poorest children
Save the Children - India

• Don't let India's children down, says Save the Children
Save the Children - India

• Raising awareness through the eyes of children
World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe/ Central Asia

• Food & warm clothing help displaced families in Afghanistan through winter
World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe/ Central Asia

• Sri Lanka - Weaving wonders: Sustainable recovery from tsunami and conflict
IFRC - Switzerland

MORE >>

Latest news

• BURUNDI: Floods displace thousands north of Bujumbura

• Thousands return to Mogadishu while more people flee Somalia

• UNHCR seriously concerned over killing of Pakistani Baloch leaders

• SOUTH AFRICA: Father Adrian, 'She literally had to run from the graveyard'

• SOMALIA: Aisha*, "I am addicted to khat and still on the market"

MORE >>

IRIN news

Background information

Briefings

Burundi transition - [Who works where]

Topics

Floods

Children

Refugees & displacement

Facts & figures

Burundi

Statistics graphs

GNI per capita (2006)

View more stats >>

Breaking stories

BURUNDI: Floods displace thousands north of Bujumbura (1 minute ago)

Thousands return to Mogadishu while more people flee Somalia (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight

What will end game of Sri Lanka's war mean for civilians? (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed

G20 summit is 'ray of hope' for world's poorest children (1 minute ago)

Blogs

Obama Focuses on Iraqi Displacement (1 minute ago)

Maps

MAP: Namibia Flooding - Caprivi Region: Population Affected by Flooding and Total Population of Area (1 minute ago)

Del.icio.us | Digg

Digg |

NewsVine | Reddit

Latest images

Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-14T013016Z_01_LIM04_RTRIDSP_2_PERU-ACCIDENT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/LIM04.htm

Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-14T011043Z_01_LIM03_RTRIDSP_2_PERU-ACCIDENT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/LIM03.htm

Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-14T010319Z_01_LIM01_RTRIDSP_2_PERU-ACCIDENT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/LIM01.htm

Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-12T104512Z_01_AMP05_RTRIDSP_2_ITALY-QUAKE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AMP05.htm

Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-12T092259Z_01_AMP02_RTRIDSP_2_ITALY-QUAKE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AMP02.htm

A broken suspension bridge is seen after an accident in the town of Coracora in the Andean city of Ayacucho April 13, 2009. The bridge was packed with school children when ...

More pictures | Galleries

Last updated:Tue Apr 14 11:22:50 2009

Background

Topics

Emergencies

NGO latest

Latest news

Background information

Related articles