The Congo River has risen to its highest level in more than 60 years and has caused flooding throughout Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Congo Republic.
More than 300 people have died and 300,000 households have been affected over the past months, with tens of thousands of houses destroyed, authorities said.
Climate activist Ketsia Passou.
"As an activist, I'm not very surprised to see that the water level is rising so much. What surprises me is the extent to which no measures are being taken for all those families who are just suffering the effects of climate change in the form of heavy flooding."
Ferry Mowa, a hydrology specialist at the DRC riverways authority, said his office had flagged the high water level in late December, warning that almost the entire flood plain of the capital Kinshasa could be affected.
On Wednesday (January 10), the river reached over 20 feet above sea level, just shy of the 1961 record, he told Reuters.
Several neighborhoods in DRC's densely populated Kinshasa have flooded, as well as communities in more than a dozen provinces, the social affairs ministry said.
Kinshasa resident Jouansin Lukula says the government doesn't take responsibility for the situation.
"You get the impression that people are left to their own devices, building wherever they want, however they want. There's no urbanization, there's nothing being done, there are no gutters planned. And even if there are gutters, they're not maintained."
DRC's social and humanitarian affairs minister, Modeste Mutinga, told Reuters that a meeting will be held on Thursday (January 11) to evaluate further humanitarian aid.
