Causes Of Drought In Baraka’s City And Its Impact On The Health Of Thepopulation

Abstract

Droughts claim more victims and cause more displacement of populations than cyclones, floods and earthquakes combined. These natural disasters, less spectacular, are however less publicized. The lack of water, especially potable water and the overflow of water due to flooding create diseases that attack the population. In its June 2008 report, the WHO estimated that dirty water is the cause of 9.1% of illnesses and 6% of deaths recorded each year worldwide. Children are the first victims, since water is the cause of 22% of diseases in the children under 14 years old. Since the 1970s, the areas affected by drought have doubled and it is often women, children and the elderly who pay the heaviest price. To date, 168 countries (out 197) claim to be affected by desertification due to the process of soil deterioration in arid regions which affects food production and is exacerbated by drought. The study of the drought of tropical Africa did not begin to be studied until 1972. But, for the Democratic Republic of Congo, this subject is almost forgotten due to its gleaming rainfall situation. Unfortunately, this is in the process of decreasing and is observed in certain regions; this is the case of the Mutambala sector, Fizi territory, South Kivu province.