Bujumbura — Heavy rains that hit the city of Bujumbura in the early morning of this 9 October 2007 injured four persons in Kinama commune.

These torrential rains also destroyed the home of more than 40 families in the same commune located in the north of Bujumbura. Most of the houses in this area, which is still reeling off from years of war, are not built from sturdy and durable materials.

Construction has become very expensive as the prices of building materials have risen enormously. A fifty kilogram-sack of cement which cost 14,000 francs a year ago now costs 23,000 franc.

The price of wood has also increased following measures taken by the government to protect the Kibira forest. Bribes pocketed by the environmental police also contribute to the rise in the cost of wood.

Heavy rains also destroyed more than 200 houses in Burambi commune of Bururi province yesterday.