DR Congo: Flooding Kills At Least 120

Facts

• According to documents from the government's General Management of Migration, at least 120 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after floods caused landslides in the capital city of Kinshasa.
• Entire neighborhoods have been inundated with flood waters and mud, destroying homes and roads and creating sinkholes — one of which destroyed the roadway between Kinshasa and the chief seaport of Matadi.
• One resident living in Mont-Ngafula said, "we've never seen a flood here on this scale," adding: "I was asleep, and I could feel water in the house...it's a disaster. We've lost all our possessions in the house, nothing could be saved."
• As Kinshasa is located on the Congo River, poor regulation and increased urbanization have made the growing city vulnerable to flash floods following intense rain events, which have increased recently.
• Officials say much of the destruction happened to houses built on plots without official permission. A similar flood killed at least 32 in and around Kinshasa in 2019.
• PM Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde and the provincial governor visited the flooded areas and have made plans to meet with regional representatives to discuss addressing the emergency. Each day of flooding in the capital is estimated to cost households $1.2M in transportation disruption.

Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera, Trtworld, and Africa News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Conversation. This latest disaster is evidence that climate change is widespread and rapidly accelerating. As cities face increased extreme events like flooding, the world needs to adapt. Local and national governments are reacting too slowly — we must stop standing idly by amid this ecological crisis, and open our eyes to the economic opportunity to grow our cities equitably for the future.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Relief Web. Climate change threatens every nation on the planet, but poor nations like the DRC are facing the brunt of the disastrous impacts. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and failed crop seasons will only worsen until appropriate funding is allocated to help these overpopulated and impoverished regions develop economically and infrastructurally.
• Narrative C, as provided by FT. It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with it. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the two.

Predictions