Burundi: Natural Disasters - Flash Update No. 2 - 28 April 2020

KEY POINTS

• National solidarity mobilizes in support of the 34,905 people affected by the flooding of the Ruzizi River.

• First 100 displaced households settled on the new official site in Gatumba, Bujumbura Rural province.

• Nearly 10,000 students did not return to school at the start of the third term due to their schools being flooded.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

• One week after the Ruzizi River began to overflow, flooded areas continue to rise, endangering more people. 4,855 new people have recently abandoned their homes due to flooding in the villages of Muyange, Rukaramu and Warubondo. A total of 6,981 households are displaced by the floods.

• A total of 6,981 households, or 34,905 people, have been displaced by the floods in 9 hills in the Gatumba and Rukaramu areas, in the commune of Mutimbuzi of Bujumbura Rural province.

• The Ministry of Human Rights, Social Affairs and Gender donated 27 tons of food on Saturday 25 April, and the ruling party donated 4.2 tons of food and non-food items (medicines, mosquito nets.) to the affected people.

• Following the multisectoral evaluation on 21 April, sectoral groups such as education, shelter and non-food items (NFI), and water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) returned to the field to reinforce data collection and refine their analysis. Meanwhile, the water level continues to rise, causing the already damaged houses to collapse.

NEEDS

• Despite the identification of a temporary relocation site (emergency shelters, including WASH equipment) by provincial authorities, access to water is far. Motorized water supply remains the only option for now.

• Of the 14 schools in the Gatumba and Rukaramu areas, 4 are flooded and non-functional, while the others accommodate displaced persons. This is disrupting the schooling of more than 9,944 students, of whom 4,738 girls. Placement of students in schools is difficult due to lack of space, especially for students in the 9th grade.

• Additional assessments conducted by the public administration indicate a rise from 6,010 displaced households to 6,981 households after the inclusion of displaced persons from the villages of Muyange,
Rukaramu and Warubondo. Humanitarian actors from the Burundian Red Cross (BRC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have carried out activities to identify and register those who were forced to sleep outdoors.

• Despite the assistance provided to date, the affected people are still in need of food aid. Many of these people have lost their food stocks and/or no longer have access to their fields due to them being submerged by the Ruzizi River.

• Most household items have been washed away or destroyed by the floods. Women and girls of childbearing age have indicated an urgent need for towels and dignity kits.