Widespread flooding devastates East Africa

Deadly floods are causing chaos in East Africa due to heavy rainfall, with Burundi seeking international assistance to handle the aftermath, VOA reported yesterday.

The article noted that Lake Tanganyika’s rising waters have flooded the port of Bujumbura, disrupting businesses and affecting over 203,944 people.

The flooding has led to destruction of homes and classrooms, and a 25% increase in the number of internally displaced people, it added.

Climate experts attribute the flooding to the El Niño weather phenomenon and poor land-use planning.

The situation in Burundi is dire, with surreal scenes like game rangers using canoes to navigate through waterlogged national parks. In Kenya 35 people have died since mid-March in flooding events that have affected more than 100,000 people.

It should be mentioned that Burundi is one of the world’s poorest countries, with 80% of its 13 million people employed in agriculture, according to the World Bank.