Thousands homeless in Maniema after flood damage

At least 20,000 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are still without shelter after floods caused by heavy rains destroyed their homes in November 2006, humanitarian agencies have said.

"The flood waters have swept away everything - homes, livestock, plants - everything is under water," Guy-Marin Kamandji, the information officer for Congo Caritas Development, a member of Caritas International, said on Tuesday after a tour of Katanga Province where several towns and villages remain submerged.

In Kindu, capital of Maniema Province, rising river waters threatened to surpass five metres, which is much higher than normal, Lutongo Paluku, an epidemiologist for the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) in Katanga, said.

He said most of the people affected by the floods survived by fishing in the Congo River, which crosses the town in two areas, and lived in mud and grass-thatched shelters.

Lutungo said many of the affected people risked contracting waterborne and diarrhoeal diseases because of the flooding. He added that the displaced lacked safe drinking water and needed non-food items such as mosquito nets, tents and blankets.

"We have pleaded for shelter, potable water, blankets, plastic sheeting, as well as told the public and authorities of the need to obey the rules of hygiene," Lutungo said.

Two reception sites have been set up in Kindu for the displaced, some of whom are in poor health. Some of the displaced have not received any help, Lutungo said.

According to the Maniema governor, Koloso Sumahili, at least 2,600 people are still without shelter in Kindu. Crisis committees comprising local authorities and humanitarian workers have been established to evaluate people’s needs.

A similar situation prevails in towns and villages in Isangi, Basoko, Banalia and Kisangani in the northeastern Orientale Province, which has also experienced heavy rainfall in recent months. Congo Caritas Development has been distributing emergency aid to 45,000 people in Orientale while another NGO, Memisa-Belgium, has been providing medical aid.

In the southeastern province of Katanga, at least 11,586 people are living without shelter in difficult conditions, according to Caritas-Development.

River levels in these areas started to rise in October 2006, and heavy rains contributed to the widespread flooding.

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