admin | July 18, 2024
News Brief
Jérémie Lushambo visits the Kabushungu River daily to pray for family members who disappeared during flooding in May 2023. Over 440 people died and thousands went missing as four rivers overflowed, inundating Bushushu, Nyamukubi, Luzira, and Chabondo villages along Lake Kivu's shores, straddling the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda border. Environmental experts say deforestation contributed to the catastrophe. Now, local communities are planting trees to prevent future disasters. At least 150 volunteers — mostly young people between 18 and 30 — are planting 1,000 trees, including grevillea, casuarina, and podocarpus.
Every day, Jérémie Lushambo goes to the Kabushungu River to pray for over 50 members of his family who disappeared in its waters a year ago. He says, “Every time I come here, I ask God to welcome the souls of my children and grandchildren who have died here.”
In May 2023, heavy rains hit Bushushu, Nyamukubi, Luzira and Chabondo, four remote villages on the shores of Lake Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on the border with Rwanda. More than 440 people died and thousands went missing after four rivers in the area burst their banks, triggering floods and mudslides. The Red Cross estimates that 1,200 houses were destroyed and over 4,600 households were affected.
Heavy rainfall and floods aren’t uncommon in Kalehe territory, but the impact of the May 2023 torrential rains was unprecedented. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called the floods “yet another illustration of the acceleration of climate change.”
Environmental experts say deforestation contributed to the catastrophe. Boris Hamuli is an agronomist based in Bushushu, South Kivu. He says that the high plateaus of Kalehe have been deforested for decades without any thought of reforestation. He says, “This has left the soil exposed and vulnerable to erosion during the rainy season, causing unprecedented flooding in our villages.”
Last June, after the flooding and to help prevent another disaster, the local government launched a campaign to plant 1,000 trees on the bare hills surrounding the four villages affected by the flooding.
At least 150 volunteers from local communities have helped to plant trees — mostly young people between the ages of 18 and 30, accompanied by agronomists. They are planting trees such as grevillea, casuarina, and podocarpus.
Thomas Bakenga is administrator of the Kalehe area and is leading the campaign. He says, “This is a step toward a future in which the environment is protected.”
Simeon Rulinda decided to take part in the reforestation efforts after he realized how trees could help prevent another disaster. For the 47-year-old, planting trees became a way to process his grief. Mr. Rulinda lost his two children and their cousin when the floods hit Bushushu and the house where they were staying collapsed, killing everyone inside.
He says, “When I lost two of my five children, I was overwhelmed with grief, and for me reforestation has become a kind of therapy. It keeps me busy, and I don’t think too much about the tragedy that has befallen us. Instead, I think about a better future for the next generation through the trees we plant.”
Between 2015 and 2022 alone, Kalehe territory lost over 420 square kilometers of tree cover, according to data from Global Forest Watch, an online platform that provides data and tools for monitoring forests, but the deforestation started decades ago. Mr. Bakenga says the mountains and hills around Lake Kivu were once forested. He adds, “But population growth has led to deforestation to build houses, agriculture, collect firewood and produce charcoal for commercial purposes.”
With no other job opportunities, residents saw the forests as their primary source of survival.
Jackson Shamamba is an agronomist and engineer from Kalehe who’s been involved in the reforestation campaign. He says preserving primary tropical forests, like those in Kalehe, is essential, as they represent one of the planet’s greatest stores of carbon.
Democratic Republic of Congo, home to huge tropical forests, is often referred to as the second lung of the world (the first being the Amazon), but it’s also among the countries worst affected by deforestation.
Mr. Bakenga and Mr. Shamamba believe that activating the local community will also help raise awareness about the consequences of deforestation. While the campaign is still ongoing and it will take between two and 10 years for new trees to fully grow, some volunteers are already changing the way they think about local forests.
Immaculée Maisha is a 28-year-old from Nyamukubi, one of the villages worst hit by the mudslides. She has been actively involved in the reforestation efforts. She says, “I grew up watching my elders cut down trees for various purposes, including house-building and cooking, and I myself took it as normal. But today, I understand better than anyone else how important it is to have trees.”
This story is based on an article written by Noella Nyirabihogo for Global Press Journal titled “In DRC, Tragic Floods Demonstrate the Lifesaving Power of Trees.” To read the full story, go to:
https://globalpressjournal.com/africa/democratic-republic-of-congo/drc-tragic-floods-demonstrate-lifesaving-power-trees/en/: DRC: Understanding the power of trees after disastrous flooding and mudslides (Global Press Journal)