The Minister of State in charge of Territorial Development and Planning, Guy Loando announced, on Wednesday, May 10, that the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has decided to put an end to the abusive use of physical space of the country to avoid floods and other natural disasters which have unfortunately bereaved the country in recent days.
Indeed, after the tragic floods that killed 438 people and made others disappear in Kivu, it is becoming urgent for the Congolese government to apply regulations aimed at limiting anarchic constructions on the national territory. The objective is to enable people to live peacefully and to provide the DRC, by 2050, with a territory developed in a regulated manner.
The province of South Kivu already has an urban development plan, which will allow the population to live in complete safety, and to limit the uncertainties linked to climatic phenomena. Nevertheless, the law regulating the construction to come, once voted, should be popularized to inform the population and to specify the methods of installation of the new rules envisaged.
According to Minister of State Guy Loando, the implementation of land use planning strategies is an effective solution to combat natural disasters. He recalls that in the Democratic Republic of Congo, this area was governed by a 1957 decree, which no longer responded to current environmental realities.
In 2015, the government therefore launched a land use planning reform process to provide the DRC with a more modern land use planning policy that meets current needs, in particular through the development of the country’s physical space. and the establishment of a methodological guide for regulated construction.
The draft law on land use planning currently under discussion in Parliament should make it possible to modernize this sector and take new issues into account.
Finally, the government, through land use planning, aims to fight against natural disasters and provide the country with an effective land use planning policy. This regulated construction policy will prevent the negative consequences of climate change and protect the populations who have been the victims of these numerous natural disasters.
Thus, despite the many environmental difficulties facing the DRC, the implementation of modern urban planning regulations should make it possible to limit the risk of natural disasters and protect the country’s many populations.