Floods have caused chaos in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Water has entered homes, and residents are using canoes to navigate through submerged roads.
The River Congo, which runs through much of the country, has also flooded areas outside of the capital.
The important waterway has reached its highest level in sixty years. Officials report that over 300 people have died in the floods in recent months.
On Thursday, residents in the impoverished megacity of Kinshasa shared with the BBC how schools, hospitals, and churches have been destroyed by the floods.
“I had lived here with my relatives… I have lost everything,” Jonas Mungindami said.
Similarly, Denise Tuzola stated that her home is now “full of water”.
“There is no church here any more and there is no way for the children to go to school,” she added.
Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is facing severe flooding due to the overflow of small rivers and streams, which are often used as open sewers.
The situation has become so dire that a man was seen wading through waist-deep water, pulling a canoe filled with passengers behind him.
Trucks are also cautiously navigating through the flooded streets, while discarded bottles float on the surface.
The RVF, the agency responsible for overseeing waterways in DR Congo, issued a warning in late December about the expected heavy rains and subsequent flooding in the Kinshasa area. However, other provinces, like Mongala and Ituri, had already experienced significant flooding by that time.
Flooding is not uncommon in Kinshasa, but this year the water level of the River Congo has risen to nearly 6.26 meters, which is close to the record level reached during the devastating flooding in 1961.
In the city of Kisangani, located upstream, the mayor reported that over 200 houses have been submerged.
The Congo River has also caused havoc in Congo-Brazzaville, a neighboring country to the DR Congo.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 336,000 people and 34 health facilities have been affected by the flooding there.
While various factors contribute to flooding, climate change plays a significant role by increasing the likelihood of extreme rainfall due to a warming atmosphere.
It is worth noting that just over a year ago, floods in Kinshasa resulted in the tragic deaths of more than 120 people.
