Mount Nyiragongo is an active volcano located in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some weeks ago, after the warnings on the renewed seismic activity around the area, Mount Nyiragongo erupted after almost twenty years of dormancy. Today, as a consequence of the volcanic eruption, nearly half a million people find themselves in urgent humanitarian need.
Mount Nyiragongo is situated six miles from Goma, a Congolese city which was already dramatically affected by the volcano in 2002. During the past eruption, lava flows destroyed about 40% of the town, causing the death of around 250 people and forcing about 120,000 individuals to leave their homes. From that moment, Goma’s population never stopped to fear the volcano. When on March 22, 2021, Mount Nyiragongo erupted, the nightmare turned again into reality.
The recent eruption has destroyed most of the region’s water supply systems and devastated Goma’s main reservoirs and pipes, creating a massive lack of clean drinking water. As a result, people have very limited access to water resources, and there is no way to build new latrines, handwashing points, and showers, without which the possibility of the spread of cholera increases. While many inhabitants of the area have been housed by local families or hosted in churches and schools, most of them still lack shelters. The eruption has also generated thousands of internally displaced people: of the 400,000 individuals who fled Goma, some 200,000 are still on the move, while around 8,000 have crossed the border into Rwanda. Most of men, women, and children have left their houses in a hurry, without taking anything with them.
The humanitarian world has already started to take action and provide assistance to the Congolese population, but efforts must be increased. Without immediate action, the new eruption of Mount Nyiragongo is likely to destroy the lives of people living in Goma forever.
By Simone M. Russo