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Kinshasa Floods Highlight Growing Climate Change Impacts

Climate and Weather

Business Honor
19 April, 2025

Kinshasa's floods highlight climate change risks, with increased rainfall and inadequate infrastructure worsening the effects.

The devastating floods that struck Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), recently are a reminder of the rising impacts of climate change. Torrential rain that started on April 4 overflowed the N'djili River, a tributary of the Congo River, inundating half of the city's 26 districts, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes, and engulfing essential infrastructure. At least 33 individuals are confirmed to have died, with several others having lost access to clean drinking water.

Researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) team investigated the event and suggested that such intense rain is increasing more often in accordance with global warming. Currently, with an increase in temperature of approximately 1.3°C, such severe weather conditions have the potential to happen every other year. Observations from two weather stations within Kinshasa indicate that rain intensified by 9-19% between 1960 and the current time, and scientists estimate that the tendency will grow with additional heating.

The scientists underlined that DRC's flood risk is enhanced by Kinshasa's positioning at the bank of the Congo River, the concentration of the population, and insufficient infrastructure. Along with urbanization, deforestation, and construction in lowlands, impending flooding, even following moderate rain, is likely. Climate change also makes the already prevailing problems such as poverty and recurrent clashes in the eastern region of DRC more complicated.

Despite these mounting risks, insufficient investment in African climate science and weather monitoring limits the ability to predict and prepare for extreme weather events. Experts call for increased resources to access weather data, particularly in Africa, to recognize and counter the continent's dynamic climatic threats. As climate change's impacts keep decimating the globe, vulnerable states like the DRC have no option but to grapple with its devastating impacts.