Environment and climate change experts have called for a probe into deforestation, land degradation, and mining activities that have triggered the increase in soil erosion and flooding leaving communities around Lake Kivu vulnerable in Western province of Rwanda as well as the eastern part of DR Congo.
A report , by 14 scientists including Prosper Ayabagabo-Climate and Environmental Researcher at Rwanda Meteorology Agency virtually presented says: "Deforestation in order to clear land for settlements, agriculture, and mining, has resulted in widespread soil erosion around Lake Kivu both in Rwanda and DR Congo, contributing to an increasing risk of landslides."
It said that the lack of capacity to enforce limits or regulation on land degrading practices has been a big challenge around Lake Kivu.
The assessment of role of climate change in deadly floods affecting highly vulnerable communities around Lake Kivu was conducted after May floods and landslides. It concluded that there is urgently need for robust climate data and research in this highly vulnerable region emphasizing that "The death toll and destruction from the floods in South Kivu, DRC and western Rwanda was extreme, and reflects the high vulnerability and exposure of people to flooding in this region."
In May 2023, landslides and flooding in this region killed 135 people, destroyed up to 5,963 houses leaving 20,326 people homeless after River Sebeya bursting.
Landscape restoration is required on about 18,000 hectares that are under risk of soil erosion on Sebeya River catchment to reduce induced economic losses and floods that affect businesses surrounding the river in Rubavu, Nyabihu, Rutsiro and Ngororero Districts.
According to the Sebeya Catchment Management Plan,soil loss quantification revealed that about 8,000 hectares were under high risk, about 6, 000 hectares under very high risk while around 4, 000 hectares are under extremely high risk of soil erosion.
Despite the recent deadly flooding and landslides, the situation has already led to devising projects aimed to control the floods by restoring the landscape, planting agroforestry, building terraces and check dams, rainwater harvesting, improved cook stoves, among other interventions.
According to the scientists' report, While the DRC's mineral reserves are critical for global manufacturing and the transition to a low carbon economy and its forests act as a key carbon sink for the world's carbon polluters, the country continues to suffer from the impacts of extreme weather which are amplified by mining activities that contribute to land and water degradation, labour abuses, and conflict.
At the beginning of May 2023, severe flooding around Lake Kivu devastated communities in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Flooding and landslides led to at least 595 fatalities with 460 reported deaths in the DRC and 135 in Rwanda.
The increase in heavy precipitation with future warming is in line with projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) over the whole of central and eastern Africa, which also show an increase in heavy rainfall.
"While the scarcity of data does not allow us to draw any conclusions on the role of climate change in the floods today, the potential for a further increase in heavy rainfall in this flood and landslide prone area highlights an urgent need to reduce vulnerability," reads part of the report.
More than 745,000 hectares of agricultural land in Rwanda potentially loses its topsoil every year as the country counts more than Rwf800 billion losses annually due to soil erosion.
"As after action review activities begin to take place in the region, and in the acknowledgement that events like this may happen more frequently, it will be essential for those involved to consider how this recovery can contribute to adaptation by decreasing communities' vulnerability and exposure to future events. At the very least, it will be critical to ensure that recovery efforts are not putting these communities at increased risk and creating failure to adaptation," the scientists report recommended.
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Abias Maniragaba, an environmental expert, emphasized that afforestation and reforestation, sustainable mining and good use of land is urgently needed it western part of Rwanda and other parts of the country.
"The soil is no longer capable of resisting soil erosion due to agriculture activities that do not conserve the environment. This has increased landslides and flooding. Deforestation in the area should be controlled. There might be climate change effects and therefore we need infrastructure for adaptation," he noted.
Afforestation and reforestation are required on 39,901 hectares (4 percent of the country land at risk).
Agroforestry is required on 101,232 hectares (9 percent of the total country land at risk).
