Bujumbura : floods separate families

Since the beginning of floods which invaded the localities of Kajaga and the homes on the coast of Lake Tanganyika in the commercial city Bujumbura, enormous consequences have been reported. Family members live separately, which costs them dearly. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

These include residents of the Kibenga (south of Bujumbura) and Kajaga neighborhoods on the Uvira road, commonly known as Gatumba road. They had to ask for help from other families in other neighborhoods not affected by the floods.

“My wife and my children have gone to live elsewhere. I stay alone, just to keep the house. Life is difficult here. We live in fear, we fear what may happen the next day,” says a father who has a house in Kajaga.

He indicates that every day, to get to work, he has to wade through water, as he cannot find a small passage to reach the main macadamized road.

And in the evening, “I rush to get home before dark because we are not sure of the situation which changes all the time. We eat in town and go back to keep watch,” he says.

To see his children, he must make an appointment after classes at school during the week or at the weekend.

Financial impact

Most residents whose properties have been flooded are forced to rent homes in other neighborhoods, which has a negative impact on their finances.

“It’s not easy to find a house to rent at a reasonable price. All the house owners are taking advantage of the current situation, it’s take it or leave it. One person’s misfortune makes another person’s happiness,” laments a family manager who is looking for a house to rent, in vain.

His wife works in the countryside, their three children are staying with an aunt.

“We had contracted a loan from a bank. Every month, we have to pay a certain amount of money for repayment. We have to ask for help to support our family, it’s too hard for us,” he said with distress, regretting what happened in their locality and admitting that “no one could believe that such a misfortune could happen to us one day. We invested so much to have a house, but this is the sad result. We fear also for those who continue to live there.

In Kajaga as in Kibenga, residents use small boats to access certain neighborhoods. In particular, they have to pay money.

They also fear electrical short circuits due to electrical installations being affected by flooding.