Congo’s Torrential Rains: Epidemic Fears Arise

Rainstorms in Brazzaville have caused landslides that have left dozens of residents homeless. In the Don Bosco district, a Pentecostal church was swept away in a landslide caused by rainwater.

The debris, including modest, modern dwellings, has left the local population bewildered and fearing epidemics. The area is practically a disaster area, with no appropriate laboratory to deal with epidemics.

Local residents are building dykes from scratch to halt the progress of the erosion, but it is almost a lost cause. Many people have deserted the area, including retired people, and are uncertain about their future.

As the sky darkens, the bodies of those who are still holding out beat faster and faster, as their houses are zero steps away from erosion and have a good chance of being destroyed.

The landslides are caused by the fragility of the soil and the lack of rainwater drainage systems. The rains have been falling relentlessly on Brazzaville since October, and the skies are far from being kind again.