Ongoing flooding kills hundreds in eastern Africa

Ongoing heavy rainfall across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Somalia has resulted in widespread flooding leading to hundreds of deaths across the region. 

The BBC reports that 194 people in Kenya and 16 people in Somalia have been killed by recent flooding. The most recent round of heavy rain and flooding from Wednesday into Thursday has taken the lives of 72 in Rwanda.

Rounds of heavy rain associated with the region's wet season have produced significant flooding since April. 

The flooding is also reported to have destroyed 8,000 acres of crops which are vital to the region. 

In addition to flooding that has washed out roads, landslides have destroyed buildings in areas with rugged terrain.

The heavy rain across the region has also brought water levels on Lake Victoria to some of the highest on record. 

Not only has this led to flooding along the coastline of Lake Victoria, which is one of Africa’s Great Lakes, it also threatens to disrupt hydroelectric power produced by dams on the Nile River which is fed by the lake. 

As water levels rise on the lake, large papyrus mats break free and become floating islands. 

Reuters reports that Uganda had a country-wide blackout on April 14 as one such papyrus mat clogged water intakes at two dams. The country gets most of its power from hydroelectricity.

Kenya Power and Lighting Company also confirmed a total network outage across the country on Saturday.

Rounds of heavy rain are expected to continue across the region into June as the wet season continues. This may lead to more flooding, potentially even higher water levels on Lake Victoria and the threat for additional blackouts. 

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