The districts of Likouala, La Cuvette and Plateaux in Congo Brazzaville have been declared natural disaster zones after torrential rains claimed lives and left nearly 50,000 people in distress, the Council of Ministers said in a statement to APA Thursday.
By Leon Charles Moukouri
At a cabinet meeting held in Brazzaville on Wednesday, Prime Minister Clement Mouamba was quoted as saying that “the country has been experiencing for some weeks, torrential rains that have led to flooding, especially in localities located along the Congo River.”
He added in a statement attributed to him: “These floods have caused loss of life and material damage, including the destruction of homes, flooding and the collapse of some public infrastructure (schools, health centers, etc.), huge destruction to people’s livelihoods (plantations, livestock, poultry, food reserves) and the outbreak of water-borne diseases”.
According to the government, considering the scale of the disaster, there are still fears of continued flooding in the weeks ahead, even though “the ministry in charge of humanitarian action is monitoring the situation”.
The Prime Minister also said he had alerted, by a letter dated November 19, 2019, the Coordinator of the United Nations System in the Congo.
According to data collected by the government, “about 50,000 people, who are in the most affected areas, namely those located along the Congo River, are in a state of distress.”
However, “the Council of ministers takes note with emotion about this situation, indicates its compassion for families impacted and in distress,” urging “the various services of the state to continue their mission of assistance to the populations concerned.”
LCM/odl/cat/fss/as/APA