Lake Tanganyika floods have no end as Burundi citizens move to the roof tops
Lake Tanganyika is Africa’s second largest lake. It has naturally fluctuated for eons, but global warming has changed the cycle. Surface temperatures of the lake have continued to climb relentlessly since 2018. This is turn causes heavier rainfall and increased flooding, to the point that the waters in the region never recede.
“We’ve been underwater for years.” – Asha
With the lake swollen, the Ruzizi River is unable to drain into it, resulting in persistent floods that inundate surrounding areas like Gatumba on the northern shore. Death in neighboring countries included 260 in Kenyaand 155 in Tanzania.
The situation deteriorated further in 2023 as thousands near the capital were evacuated. The floods returned in 2024 and this spring as residents adapt by moving to rooftops as floodwaters engulfed entire neighborhoods. Twenty-nine people in Burundi were killed.
In the West, some degree of mitigation would be possible by deploying infrastructure upgrades to stave off the inevitable. But that won’t happen in Burundi.
