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A mother and her child died in Kigali when their family house collapsed during a heavy downpour over the past weekend.
The Deputy District Executive Administrator of Gasabo District, Regis Mudaheranwa, on Monday, April 29, said the tragedy in which only the father escaped with injuries befell a family in Ngara Cell, in Bumbogo Sector, Gasabo District.
“Two people passed away and four others were injured in Gasabo District. Six houses collapsed while 30 other houses were partially damaged,” Mudaheranwa said, noting that all the injured people were taken to Kibagabaga Hospital. An official has told The New Times.
He said city residents living in high-risk zones have to be temporarily sheltered elsewhere.
“We are informing people that we still expect heavy rains considering the weather forecast. The people who are still in disaster hotspots should immediately relocate because we have many examples of tragic incidents in such areas,” he said, noting that 98 percent of the dangerous landslides, and flooding, are caused by unplanned settlement.
Kinyinya Sector is among the most affected areas of Gasabo District where six houses were damaged and one completely collapsed.
Other houses were damaged in city areas such as Kimironko, Gatsata, Jali, Nduba, Ndera, and Gisozi, where up to 17 houses were damaged.
In Nduba Sector, a collapsed wall injured 13-year-old twins, according to officials.
Other family house damages were recorded in the Muhima and Gitega sectors in Nyarugenge District.
8,300 households in disaster hotspots
The Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) has identified 326 disaster hotspots as heavy rains loom in May. Adalbert Rukebanuka, the Director General of Risk Reduction, Planning, and Mainstreaming at MINEMA, said that 8,800 households were identified in such hotspots.
He noted that 4,800 households have been evicted from those risky areas.
The identified disaster hotspots are located in 18 districts, including all districts of northern and western provinces, and the City of Kigali.
According to Anthony Twahirwa, the Division Manager of Weather and Climate Services Application at Rwanda Meteorology Agency, the flooding in the East African region is being triggered by the El Niño effect.
El Niño-induced heavy rains and flooding (riverine and flash floods) continue to hit parts of the eastern African region, including Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan,
Tanzania, and Uganda, leading to loss of lives, livelihoods, and displacement. Due to the intense flooding, parts of Kenya, Burundi, and Uganda are in distress. In Kenya, over 30 people lost their lives since mid-March in floods that impacted over 100,000 people, according to the UN.
Between September 2023 and April 7, some 203,944 people were affected by flooding, with 19,250 homes and 209 classrooms destroyed in Burundi.
On Monday, more than 40 people were killed in Nakuru County in Kenya after a dam burst its banks following weeks of torrential rains that also forced thousands from their homes.
Out of the 42, 17 are minors, Naivasha police commander Stephen Kirui confirmed, saying search and rescue operations are going on.
