Strong floods in the Kinshasa of Dr Congo leave dozens of deaths, destroy houses | Climatic news

The capital is struggling while the Ndjili river overflows, leaving drivers blocked and the infrastructures collapse.

Strong rains have sparked serious floods from a key river in the Democratic Republic of the capital of Congo Kinshasa, killing around thirty people and destroying houses and roads.

The provincial Minister of Health, Patrician Gongo, gave the number of deaths on Sunday, but stressed that he was “provisional”. Most of the deluge of the flood, he added, were caused by collapsing walls.

The Ndjili river, which crosses the teeming town of nearly 17 million people, broke out its banks on Friday evening, overwhelming the main national road. Motorists have remained blocked for hours, some spending overnight in their cars.

“On the way back of the airport last night to welcome a friend, we spent the night in the car because there was no safe place to park,” said Patricia Mikonga, a resident of Kinshasa, in Reuters.

Many districts have been plunged into darkness, while others have undergone a water shortage.

Kinshasa Governor Daniel Bumba Lubaki said water infrastructure had been damaged, but assured that residents that supply would be restored in a few days. Speaking on state television, he blamed illegal accommodation for part of the deaths and warned that people living in unforeseen colonies could be expelled.

Raphael Tshimanga Muamba, hydrologist, said that human activity had aggravated the state of the river over time.

“These are anthropogenic actions where rivers are degraded; their dimensions no longer represent their initial capacity to contain floods,” he told Reuters.

The floods occur while the country faces the instability of the assembly with conflicts in the eastern part of the country. The M23 rebels supported by Rwanda have increased attacks there since the beginning of the year, with more than 7,000 people killed and millions displaced in recent months.