Burundi is a landlocked country that is exposed to climate-related hazards, a major cause of the deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Torrential rains, floods, landslides, and strong winds pose existential threats to almost every sector in the country. The impacts of climate change-induced floods and landslides are the main drivers of internal displacement. Burundi, which the UN says is one of the 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change, has been pelted by almost non-stop rain since September 2023, with its main city of Bujumbura ravaged by floods.
The heavy rainfall due to the El Nino phenomenon is causing severe flooding linked to overflowing rivers and the rising waters of Lake Tanganyika. Landslides, strong winds and hail continue to expose communities to different vulnerabilities. Intense rainfall associated with the El Niño phenomenon, the water level of Lake Tanganyika surged, leading to flooding in communities across 9 communes in four Provinces. Bujumbura (Mutimbuzi , Gatumba , Bujumbura mayor and Kabezi communes), Mairie Province (Muha, Mukaza, and Ntahangwa communes), Rumonge Province (Muhuta, Bugarama, and Rumonge communes), and Makamba Province (Nyanza Lac commune).
Between September 2023 and April 17, 2024, a total of 203,944 people have been affected while the number of internally displaced people increased to 96,000. Homes and livelihoods, crop fields and infrastructure had been destroyed. 306,000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Burundi. According to data gathered by the CRB volunteer network, public infrastructure, residential buildings, and agricultural lands have been extensively damaged, as outlined below:
(1) Flooded houses: 865 in Rumonge, 32 houses in Makamba, 60 houses flooded in the Town Hall, 387houses in Bujumbura and causing the displacement of 34 households, 300 houses threatened.
(2) Public infrastructure: 2 Makamba markets flooded and the Mukungu Communal High School (NyanzaLac Commune in Makamba), more than 300 Ha of fields in BujumburaRural were damaged (Mutimbuzi and Kabezi Communes); the Port of Rumonge completely flooded, the port of Bujumbura partially flooded, and some services migrated to another area.
(3) Damaged fields: 22 Ha in NyanzaLac de Makamba, 43 Ha of damaged fields.
(4) The road from Bujumbura to DRC via Mutimbuzi commune is already flooded since 2nd March 2024 as well as the road along Tanganyika Lac in Bujumbura Town (Avenue du Large).
This situation has aggravated the humanitarian situation in Cibitoke and Bujbumura Mayor.
In January 2024 heavy rain occurred in Bujumbura town ( Kinama, Buterere, Musaga and Kanyosha) and Bubanza “Provinces (Gihanga and Mpanda).
In the economic capital Bujumbura, which lies on the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, several neighbourhoods have been flooded, roads and bridges destroyed, and some hotels and hospitals abandoned because of rising water levels. El Nino has devastating consequences in East Africa, heavier rains are expected in April/May 2024, with the likelihood of causing even more significant damage and further displacement.
Burundi remains one of the least developed countries ranked 187 out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index in 2021) with a low-income economy. With 80 per cent of the population employed in the agricultural sector, Burundi’s economy remains fragile and vulnerable to shocks. The consequences of climate-induced disasters call for continuous lifesaving assistance to the affected communities, and most especially the Internally Displaced Persons.