The government has approved the gradual and orderly return of the displaced population after the volcanic eruption on 22 May. But the population returning to Goma risks facing several challenges, especially housing and especially the difficulties in supplying drinking water. The Congolese government is now studying the possibility of moving the city of Goma.
Jars in hand, children, women and men erase in the Munigi district of Goma, in front of the Régideso Reservoir, the national water distribution company.
Jean-Paul, in his fifties, arrives late for work this morning. He is obliged to come in person to fetch water for himself and his small family. “We arrive here at 6 o’clock. It is very difficult to draw water. If you send the kids or the wife, they can spend the night here. We are here to fill the same two cans and come home, he explains.
After the damage caused by the lava, the tank was disconnected from the city cycle. It is now delivered several times a day by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to serve a population of about 60,000 people, describes our special envoy on site, Patient Ligodin.
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But the quantity seems insufficient for Agnès. “The water from the Red Cross serves three groups. Many other inhabitants of nearby villages have sought refuge here. The situation becomes complicated, the amount of water is insufficient for this region. We ask the provincial government to help us ”.
Today, the issue of water is an emergency for several reasons: “Drinking water is a good thing that allows you to stay healthy and helps prevent waterborne diseases including cholera. The cholera epidemic is what we want to avoid at all costs here in Goma,” explains Raphaël. Ténaud, Head of the ICRC Sub-Delegation in Goma In addition to the ICRC’s work, the WHO has intensified epidemiological surveillance in northern Kivu, 48 chlorination points are now operational in the health areas of the Kivu coast.
A reflection on the displacement of Goma
But now with the return of the displaced to Goma, the question arises of reconstruction and the relocation of the city to the urban development of Sake, about ten kilometers away, is now being discussed. The Minister of Urban Planning and Housing has lamented the absence for decades of an urban policy in the country. According to Pius Mwabilu, the current government wants to correct this discrepancy, reports our correspondent in Kinshasa, Kamanda wa Kamanda Muzembé.
For Goma more precisely, he said, reflected the focus on development in 2035 and the possibility of relocation, given the limitation associated with the presence of active volcanoes. Reference by Goma since February 2021 recommended the expansion of the city towards two main axes that should be called Sake 2 and Sake 3 which is located about thirty kilometers north of Goma.
Teacher experts from the Higher Institute of Architecture and Urbanism proposed a program of priority actions and a typology of earthquake-resistant structures for the new targeted sites. According to Minister Pius Mwabilu, the new places are expected to accommodate almost 60,000 families. However, the decision to move the city of Goma lies with the President of the Republic and the National Assembly.
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