News
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The rains continue to fall in areas below the Equator, leading to fears of an increase in flooded areas, population displacements and a risk of the development of waterborne diseases.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Since October 2019, heavy rains have affected about 170,000 people across the country, including 30,000 Central African and Congolese refugees.
• 6,302 hectares of agricultural fields have been destroyed.
• Approximately $30 million is required to respond to the situation.
• Response efforts have started in the northern departments and have already reached more than 80,000 people through food distribution.
• A gradual decrease in water levels in some areas of Likouala has been observed in January 2020.
• The rains continue to fall in the departments below the Equator, leading to fears of an increase in flooded areas (Cuvette, Plateaux) over time, leading to population displacements and a risk of the development of waterborne diseases.
• The Ministry of Social Affairs and Humanitarian Action (MASAH) is mandated to coordinate support activities for those affected.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
The torrential rains that fell over a large part of the territory of the Republic of Congo between October and December 2019 resulted in a complex and persistent flooding situation over a large part of the country, particularly in the northern departments (Likouala, Cuvette, Plateaux and Sangha).
While the rains have become scarcer in the north of the country, suggesting a gradual decline in Likouala, they continue in the southern part of the Equator. Added to this is the influx of river water from the northern departments flowing along the banks of the Congo and Oubangui rivers.
ACCESS
Access to the affected areas is very difficult, as these regions are particularly isolated in normal times. Humanitarian access is mainly by river, with food being delivered by barges and speedboats.
