In early April 2025, Kinshasa, the megacity in Congo, was severely affected by heavy rainfall that led to flooding and landslides. More than 60,000 people were affected and at least 170 lives were lost.
In an analysis for CIMIC-VZW, Tom D’Haeyer, water and climate expert at Irrawaddy Earth, places this disaster in a broader context. He points out that Kinshasa’s vulnerability is not only due to extreme weather conditions, but above all to rapid and uncontrolled urban expansion, inadequate infrastructure, and the lack of proper waste and water management.
Although heavy rainfall is expected to become more frequent according to climate forecasts, D’Haeyer emphasizes that structural causes such as chaotic urban planning, the degradation of natural buffers, and complex land rights are significantly exacerbating the toll of this disaster. “Understanding the social and historical power structures surrounding land use is at least as important as analyzing hydrological processes,” he concludes.
Link: Floods in Kinshasa: more than just a natural disaster – CIMIC vzw