RWANDA: Floods kill 14, displace thousands in the north
Pastor Dale Morgan
RWANDA: Floods kill 14, displace thousands in the north*
08 Dec 2006 13:00:07 GMT
Source: IRIN
KIGALI, 8 December (IRIN) - At least 14 people have died and thousands
others made homeless after heavy rains caused flooding in northern
Rwanda, police spokesman Insp Willy Marcel Higiro said.
The worst-affected areas were in Rulindo District, 45 km north of the
capital, Kigali. Also hard hit was the Gakenke trading centre in
Rulindo, he told IRIN on Friday.
The police, who carried out an assessment of the flood damage, found
that two of the dead were soldiers who drowned after their vehicle was
swept away and that tens of others had been reported missing. At least
36 homes were destroyed.
Rulindo's mayor, Justas Kangwage, said the floods submerged at least
5,000 homes, displacing more than 2,000 people. Up to 3,000 hectares of
farmland was submerged, he added, forcing farmers to seek refuge on
higher plains.
The displaced have sought refuge in the high-altitude area of Nyakina,
near Gakenke trading centre. The Rwanda National Red Cross and a
specialised unit of the Rwandan police have provided relief aid for the
displaced, distributing food, bedding, medical aid and domestic utensils.
A resident of Rulindo, who requested anonymity, blamed local authorities
for failing to alert the public on how to protect themselves against
natural disasters such as floods.
"The administrative authorities were aware of the possible occurrence of
this disaster, because it occurs annually," he said. "Even when the
disaster comes, there has been negligence by our administration to
consolidate the coordination of rescue activities to evacuate vulnerable
people, such as children and old people."
However, the State Minister for Lands, Environment and Forestry,
Patricia Hajabakiga, told a news conference in Kigali that the
government would evacuate all people with homes in marshlands, according
to a resolution adopted by the Cabinet. She said the decision would help
scale down the effects of natural disasters on people living in wetlands.
"Our objective is to see all people in wetlands relocating to safer
areas," she said.
Hajabakiga said most of the deaths occurred in the wetlands. "On several
occasions, we have warned people against settling in marshlands but to
no avail," she said.
She said the move to evict all wetland settlers would help enforce the
law on the environment, which she noted had continued to be violated.
"When we discourage people from settling in certain areas, they complain
that environmentalists exaggerate, but this time, we are ready to
enforce the law. We have to save lives and we shall do anything to
achieve this," she said.
Saying it was costly to resettle families displaced by natural hazards
such as floods, Hajabakiga said: "It is a burden on the government to
cover such losses which arise out of irresponsible settlements."
According to a recent study by the Ministry of Lands, Environment and
Forestry, only 66,000 hectares of the total 165,000 hectares in the
country can be used for agriculture.