Three weeks on, no quick-fix solutions for Goma

Three weeks after Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was inundated by lava flows from Mt Nyiragongo, the future of this town of some 400,000 people remains precarious. Its idyllic setting on the shore of Lake Kivu, amid rolling green hills kept lush by frequent rains and a temperate climate, belies the fact that this Garden of Eden sits on a volcanic minefield situated along the Great Rift Valley - a massive geological fault line, which will eventually cause a vast swathe of eastern Africa to split off from the rest of the continent. To the team of national and international volcanologists monitoring Nyiragongo, this latest volcanic activity was simply a reminder that Goma is itself built atop hardened lava flows of centuries past - only moments ago in geological terms - and that its residents would be well-advised to consider relocating to areas west of Sake, some 30 km west of Goma, deemed to be at a safe enough distance from Nyiragongo's vast volcanic plain. Local authorities, UN agencies, and local and international nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) now grapple with what comes next. While the humanitarian crisis is widely believed to be under control for the time being, it has become painfully clear that there are no quick-fix solutions for a town already under enormous strain from years of war. A consolidated appeal for funds by relief agencies, due to have been launched at the end of January, was postponed, consensus having been reached that a much longer-term effort would be necessary. Yet, what form such an endeavour would take poses a nagging dilemma: to invest in the reconstruction of a town still highly susceptible to future volcanic activity, in the hope that better monitoring will enable a more timely and organised evacuation of residents; or to declare the site uninhabitable and require the population to move to resettlement sites to be established in "safe zones". Whereas the latter might seem the more logical solution, there is a general feeling among aid agencies that it would not be well received by the citizens of Goma, who, like most of the non-nomadic members of the human race, would prefer to take their chances in the place they call home, no matter what the risks might be. This suspicion is supported not only by how quickly the hundreds of thousands who fled the volcano returned to their town - the vast majority within a matter of days - but by a recent survey conducted by the International Rescue Committee among the homeless of Goma, who expressed a general reluctance to relocate. With this in mind, a coalition of Congolese and Rwandan authorities, UN agencies and international NGOs have pooled their resources to develop and implement a contingency plan in the event of future volcanic or seismic activity - a plan many argue should have been in place long ago. Thus far, it has been agreed that one contingency plan will be elaborated, comprising two operational plans - one for the DRC, and one for Rwanda. The plan will focus on two possible scenarios: a medium-scale emergency involving lava flows and minor seismic activity, and a large-scale catastrophe involving a major volcanic eruption and possibly major seismic activity. A meeting of all partners to approve and endorse a final plan is due to be held in the Rwandan capital, Rwanda, before the end of February. Already, the first manifestations of the results of contingency planning in action can be seen in the form of basic shelters being built along exit routes by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Point d'Ecoute (a local NGO) in neighbouring Rwanda for children who might become separated from their families during a mass exodus. Refugee and transit camps established for previous population movements - mainly those related to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda - have already been refurbished in both the DRC and Rwanda to assist those displaced in the wake of the Mt Nyiragongo eruption, with consideration being given to the rehabilitation of additional sites. In the meantime, however, in a remarkable display of resilience and determination, life goes on for the people of Goma - a population devastated by years of conflict, many of whom have lost all of the little they had. Only days after the lava had ploughed through their town, residents were already venturing across the still-hot flows, stepping quickly to avoid having their rubber-soled shoes from melting and adhering to the rock. A number of roads paved across the lava flows have enabled vehicles to criss-cross the town carrying relief supplies, food, and commercial goods. Businesses which escaped not only the lava but also widespread looting have reopened, and small entrepreneurs have reappeared throughout the town - some even using walls of lava as shelving on which to display their goods. UNICEF, in collaboration with local authorities and a number of partner NGOs, expects to have the town's schools functioning again by 25 February, albeit in a rudimentary condition, until ruined buildings, furniture and supplies can be replaced. Across the border in Rwanda, classes are already in session at the Nkamira transit camp, in a makeshift schoolroom built of sturdy tree trunks and branches and covered by plastic sheeting. Thanks to a combined effort by UNICEF, Point d'Ecoute, and Save the Children (SCF), Congolese children of a wide range of ages seem comforted by the camaraderie and normality provided in the midst of mayhem. They are eager to show visitors the lessons they have completed in pencil in their notebooks, following lessons conducted by SCF teachers in Swahili and French. They are also anxious to know what comes next for them. "When do we go home?" they ask. "Is the volcano going to explode again?" These are questions to which adults are hard-pressed to answer.