Disasters, Conflicts and Migration
|
Natural Disasters |
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|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Occurs |
Comments / Details |
|
Drought |
Yes |
Climate change is affecting the country with drought period in few provinces like Nord Kivu and Haut Katanga |
|
Earthquakes |
Yes |
A 300 km wide strip on the eastern side of the country is exposed to a frequent level of seismic activity |
|
Epidemics |
Yes |
Ongoing degrees of epidemic disease outbursts of various sources. Bacterial and Protozoal diarrhea, Cholera, Hepatitis A, B Typhoid Fever, Cholera, Plague and African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), water contact disease Ebola, Measles, Poliomyelitis, HIV and Covid 19 outbreak |
|
Extreme Temperatures |
No |
However, the country is facing the consequence of climate change and the government has launched the Plan National d'Adaptation aux changements climatiques (PNA). |
|
Flooding |
Yes |
Cities and countryside are often affected by heavy rainfall during the past years with casualties and damaged infrastructure. The population living along the Congo river is particularly impacted |
|
Insect Infestation |
Yes |
Migratory locusts (2020) |
|
Mudslides |
Yes |
Frequent landslides in the Eastern DRC due to heavy rainfalls and seismic activity |
|
Volcanic Eruptions |
Yes |
4 of 5 volcanoes in the country are considered as still active. Nyiragongo volcano erupted last May 2022 for the first time since 2002 with a magnitude 4 on the Richter scale (Source: Worlddata.info) |
|
High Waves / Surges |
No |
n/a |
|
Wildfires |
Yes |
Farmers use an agrarian technique called “culture sur brûlis”, which consists of setting fire to plots of land after harvest to prepare for the next agricultural season. However, this practice is often the cause of vast fires of forests as observed during the past years |
|
High Winds |
No |
n/a |
|
Other Comments |
Because of the presence of trapped pockets of highly explosive gas (methane) at the bottom of Kivu Lake, scientists say that there is likelihood that these could be released, creating a dangerous hazard of explosion in case of contact with flames on the surface. That would necessitate a total evacuation of people from Goma, Gisenyi, the Lake Kivu surrounds, Bukavu, Cyangugu and Kibuye. |
|
|
Man-Made Issues |
||
|
Civil Strife |
Yes |
Ongoing in Eastern DRC for more 25 years (Kivu, Ituri and Kasai regions). In July 2022, protests took place in Goma in front of several bases of the Mission de l’ Organisation des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en Rd. Congo (MONUSCO) as well as in the cities of Beni, Butembo and Uvira |
|
International Conflict |
n/a |
Rebels, armed groups and militias are operating in Eastern DRC with financial and military support from neighbors' countries to create instability inside the country |
|
Internally Displaced Persons |
Yes |
5,7 million internally displacements in DRC’s eastern provinces of Kivu, Ituri and Kasai regions in 2022 (Source: WFP situation report) |
|
Refugees Present |
Yes |
As of March 31, 2022, the DRC hosts 522,121 refugees from Central African Republic, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan (Source: UNHCR) |
|
Landmines / UXO Present |
Yes |
North Kivu, Ituri, South Kivu and Tanganyika (Source: UNMAS) |
|
Other Comments |
n/a |
|
For a more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters.
Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities
|
Seasonal Effects on Transport |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Transport Type |
Time Frame |
Comments / Details |
|
Primary Road Transport |
Wet season: October to April Dry season: May to September |
The 3,294 km of asphalt primary roads out of the 58,129 km are passable in all seasons despite the presence of potholes. The remaining 54,835 km is hardly passable during rainy season due to ruts and mud. During dry season, roads may become very sandy/muddy thus sometimes impassable, making heavy cargo loads difficult to transport. Trucks are often stranded until piles of sand are cleared. |
|
Secondary Road Transport |
Wet season: October to April Dry season: May to September
|
The 86,871 km secondary road network is not paved and large parts of it are severely affected during rainy season, which makes it often inaccessible. During dry season, roads become sandy, muddy and dirty, thus hardly passable. This network if sometimes composed of what became more bicycle tracks than vehicle paths. |
|
Rail Transport |
n/a |
The 5,000 km network split into four non-interconnected zones remains defective due to poor maintenance and a lack of investment to modernize the railway infrastructure. This situation is causing many deadly derailments |
|
Air Transport |
Depend on the provinces for bad weather. |
The DRC’s domestic air transport services have a worrisome safety record due to aging aircraft, human error and harsh weather including heavy rains and storms during rainy seasons. The Congolese air fleet has been blacklisted by the European Union for decades due to the high number of crashes. Under the Projet Prioritaire de Sécurité Aérienne Phase 2 (PPSA 2), the current government is working to normalize this sector and to comply with the international standards of Civil Aviation |
|
Waterway Transport |
Wet season: October to April Dry season: May to September
|
More sandbars appear during the dry seasons preventing the passage of heavy boats. Moreover, a significant lack of regular dredging operations is affecting traffic among several rivers |
Road transport in general in the DRC is slowed down during the rainy season as the travel time is extended by almost 40% due to the poor state of roads. Waterway transport is reduced or suspended during the dry season due to a lack or slow level to circulate among the rivers. Regarding both air and rail transportation, the main issues are poor maintenance and a lack of modern infrastructure causing accidents.
|
Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling |
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|---|---|---|
|
Activity Type |
Time Frame |
Comments / Details |
|
Storage |
October to April |
Humidity affecting warehouse walls and floors in the rainy season |
|
Handling |
October to April |
Delay, slipping of workers and goods, muddy waterways ports preventing safe handling and transportation. |
|
Other |
n/a |
n/a |
Transporters must protect and cover their shipments with tarpaulins to avoid any losses and damage by the rain. Refurbishment and maintenance of warehouses to be completed prior to the rainy season to avoid flooding and roof leakage. Due to the poor road condition during this period, buffer and pre-stock to be anticipated especially for humanitarian response in remote areas.
Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response
GOVERNMENT
In 2010, an emergency rescue plan - Organisation de secours en cas de catastrophe (ORSEC) - defining the general framework of constitutional emergency response was developed and will be revised on a yearly basis.
In January 2013, the government created the Cadre National de Concertation Humanitaire (CNCH)
to improve the exchange of humanitarian information enabling more efficient humanitarian responses and to ensure a better transition between humanitarian action and development,
The CNCH, co-chaired by the Prime Minister and the Coordinator humanitarian, is a mechanism that enables advocacy on access issues on a national level. At the provincial level, the CNCH’s mission allows periodic exchanges between humanitarian actors and provincial authorities to facilitate access to populations in need. The discussions will continue directly with the Ministries responsible for raising issues administrative and tax barriers on humanitarian imports as well as the procedures and approaches close to the recognition and legality of NGOs.
Last 2019, the government launched its Plan National Stratégique de Développement 2019-2023 (PNDS), which includes objectives related to humanitarian action in country such as reducing disaster risk and responding to humanitarian crises. (Source: Article A.9 Affaires Humanitaires)
Last 2020, the government responded to the Covid 19 Outbreak with a twelve months dedicated national strategic plan to fight the virus with the support of the humanitarian community in the country.
For more information on government contact details, please see the following link:
HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY
As of August 2022, more than 350 international and national organizations are operating in the country. In 2022, as per the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the humanitarian situation in the DRC remains critical and complex for millions of Congolese, and the humanitarian organization estimated that 27 million people will need some sort of humanitarian assistance in 2022. This includes food, water, medicine, shelter, protection, etc. Of the 27 million people in need of assistance, 8.8 million people are considered the most vulnerable and will be targeted with aid.
Then, according to the International Security Organization (INSO), the DRC remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for aid workers. Between January 2021 and January 2022, 268 security incidents against international non-governmental organizations staff were reported, including 36 kidnappings, 29 injuries and 7 deaths.
For more information on humanitarian response, please the Humanitarian Response Plan 2022 (HRP).
For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link:
