The Republic of Congo has declared a humanitarian emergency as a result of floods induced by heavy rains that have been falling for over a month.
The government also announced the establishment of a $4 million emergency fund to assist catastrophe victims and mitigate the effects of flooding in numerous departments.
Civil society has praised the decision, but people on the ground want action.
Over 360 villages and 36 districts were flooded throughout the country, affecting more than 320,000 people.
At least 17 people have died and 6 remain missing, urban planners are concerned by the scale of the disaster, and have called for collective responsibility.
Jean Felis Demba-Ntelo architect, urban planner and former Minister of Public Works said the current situation is not surprising.
“We encountered these problems when we drew up the master plan for the cities of Brazzaville and Pointe Noire”.
Reports said that people are doing what they can to limit the risk of landslides, especially as the rains are not expected to stop for the next few months, according to meteorologists.