Floods displace 5,000 in south

Rain-induced floods in Burundi's southern province of Bururi have rendered at least 5,000 people homeless, Governor Véronique Nizigama said on Monday. She said heavy rains last week in the commune of Muheka had resulted in one death, swept away 206 homes, and destroyed crops in farms. So far, she said, the displaced had not received any help and were staying with other families in areas that were not badly affected by the floods. She said she had made requests for tents to the United Nations Children's Fund and was awaiting a response. She has also appealed to the Ministry of National Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender for help. However, Stella Budiriganya, the officer in charge of communication in the ministry of national solidarity said on Wednesday the ministry could not assist those displaced at Muheka as the floods had affected many others nationwide. "We have sent evaluation teams to the ground to assess the damages, we are waiting for their reports to know the number of people affected and what the immediate needs are," Budiriganya said. The UN World Food Programme assistant information officer, Isidore Nteturuye, said on Wednesday the agency would assist the displaced at Muheka as it does other vulnerable people as long as the local administrators add their names to the list of other targeted beneficiaries. However, so far, the rains seem to subsiding at Muheka. Returning residents would have to rebuild their homes. A local administration official said on a local radio on Tuesday that they were looking for a temporary site to host the displaced until they could rebuild their homes. Growing crops in the wetlands, as the residents normally do as June approaches, would also be difficult as all the wetlands are still waterlogged. The Ministry of Agriculture has promised seeds to the flood victims. The rains started causing damages mid-April, resulting in landslides in many provinces. In the central province of Muramvya, 11 people were reported killed in April, 1,800 hectares of crops damaged and at least 200 homes destroyed. Some 60 percent of vegetables from the wetlands in Muramvya were also destroyed. At a meeting with President Pierre Nkurunziza in Karuzi Province on Saturday, provincial governors said the rains had killed 20 people throughout the country. The rains had, however, raised hope of a good harvest after a drought-induced food crisis in many provinces. In late 2005, the government declared five provinces of the north, east and southeast hunger-stricken. Now the heavy rains risk compromising the chances of a good harvest as, in many provinces, crops like beans, which were only flowering, have been damaged.