Flooding struck in Bukavu City and surrounding areas of South Kivu Province, on the sores of Lake Kivu and close to the border with Rwanda. Local media said homes, roads and vehicles were damaged.
Powerful flood waters swept away cars and dumped them into Lake Kivu. One of the worst affected areas was the commune of Kadutu. As of 17 March, authorities reported 3 fatalities and 3 people missing.
The area has seen numerous incidents of flash flooding and extreme rainfall since February. Heavy rainfall and floods in Bukavu on 20 February caused buildings to collapse resulting in 6 fatalities. Several houses collapse after heavy rain on 07 February in Kadutu commune where one person died.
Western areas of the country have also seen heavy rainfall in the past few weeks, in particular the capital Kinshasa. Heavy rain from 01 March 2022 caused damage and flash floods in Kinshasa and the bordering city of Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo and situated on the opposite bank of the Congo River.
Several communities in low-lying areas along rivers in Kinshasa were affected. Local media reported 4 members of a family died in Ndanu district in the commune of Limete. It is believed the victims were electrocuted after live cables came into contact with flood water.
Meanwhile in Brazzaville 3 fatalities were reported in the Manianga district after part of a building collapsed. Wide areas of the district suffered flooding. Media also reported the Corniche de Brazzaville viaduct collapsed.
Severe flooding affected thousands in the provinces of Maniema and North Kivu from mid to late January 2022.
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