The Democratic Republic of Congo has been again affected by a natural disaster in recent weeks, with torrential rain that fell on several villages in the territory of Kahele, in the province of South Kivu. The resulting floods left 438 people dead and many missing.
Faced with this situation, the Congolese government has decided to take measures to avoid such disasters in the future. The Minister of State for Land Use and Planning, Guy Loando, announced at a May 10 briefing that the government would end the misuse of the country’s physical space, adding that the construction and land allocation had to comply with clear regulations.
The government wishes to fight against natural disasters by providing the country with a land-use planning policy. Currently under discussion in Parliament, a draft law on land use planning is being drawn up, accompanied by administrative and criminal sanctions.
Minister Guy Loando recalls that the government’s strategies aim to provide the country with land use planning policy tools, in particular a national land use plan to prevent natural disasters by 2050.
This decision comes after decades of absence of a legal framework regulating land use planning in the country, explains Minister Guy Loando. It also underlines the importance of land-use planning tools, which stem from a land-use planning reform process launched in 2015 to compensate for an overly extroverted policy.
The Congolese government also expressed its sympathy to the population affected by the floods. A special commission has been set up to take care of the missing. The Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya, meanwhile updated the assessment of the disaster which reached 438 dead and many missing.
This situation highlights the importance of a clear and regulated land use planning policy to avoid natural disasters in the country. The bill currently being drafted seems to be a first step in addressing this issue and guaranteeing the safety of populations.