Gabon: serious flooding in the south-east of the country
Heavy torrential rains, which occurred on Sunday and Monday, caused flooding in several neighborhoods of Franceville, the provincial capital of Haut Ogooué, located in the southeast of the country.
In the center of Franceville, rivers, canals and sewers overflowed, flooding areas such as the commercial district of Postos, the Polytechnic University of Masuku, the popular district of Mbaya, as well as the railway station and various businesses.
At the Place des Fêtes, some residents who ventured on foot had to cross chest-deep water. Several students were unable to return to their schools. “This is not the first time we have experienced flooding every time it rains. The main problem is the lack of maintenance of the Ogooué River, which gives its name to the province”Brice Mboumba, a resident, testified to Xinhua.
Some civil servants, seeking to reach their workplace, had to call on young people who transported them on their backs or in wheelbarrows, offering a small amount of money. Residents of the affected neighborhoods fear that the coming rains will worsen the situation, due to the lack of cleaning of gutters and rivers.
In Franceville, as in other regions of Gabon, rains and floods regularly cause damage, but no human losses were reported this Tuesday.