The Current heavy rains that have damaged properties and claimed lives in different parts of the country are linked to El Nino, Anthony Twahirwa, the head of weather and climate services at Rwanda Meteorology Agency, has said.

El Nino is the Pacific-wide phenomenon that has had global consequences, first predicted five months ago.

The current phenomenon is the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific, including off the Pacific coast of South America.

"January, for example, is normally a dry season but rains are causing havoc. This is due to El Nino phenomenon and we expect it might continue until June this year,” Twahirwa told The New Times on Tuesday.

He said mid next month, the agency will issue a summary report on current rainfall and predictions for next three months.

Current heavy rains are coming down through heavy winds blowing from western DR Congo and are likely to affect northern, southern, western parts of Rwanda more than elsewhere in the country.

The effects are also being observed in neighbouring countries, according to Twahirwa.

"We have a forum eastern African countries in which we meet every day via skype to share information on what is going on with weather forecast. For example, we are aware that in Uganda, hills have been degraded in these recent months, the same has happened in Tanzania and elsewhere due to current heavy rains,” he said.

Intensity of rains

Meteorological reports for September to November show heavy rains in different parts of the country.

Ngoma station indicates over 300mm, Kigali 290mm, Gicumbi 480mm, Kiramuruzi 295mm, over 400mm for Musanze, Ruhango with 488mm, over 500mm in Rubengera, Rubavu with 460mm, Bugarama in Rusizi with 530mm, among others.

The normal rains should be 10mm, but according to Twahirwa, rains might damage an area depending to its vulnerable physical features.

"Although there is no analysis report yet for December and January, we also witnessed heavily destructive rains,” he said.

Downpour since last week has wreaked havoc in different parts of the country.

In Rusizi District 14 houses, worth Rwf10 million, were damaged by rains in villages of Bugarama Sector, according to Emmanuel Nsigaye, the district vice mayor in charge of social affairs.

In the same week, rain killed two people and destroyed property in Rulindo and Gicumbi districts.

On Monday, rain destroyed rice processing factory belonging to Bright General Company and many other properties worth over Rwf300 million in Bugarama Sector in Rusizi District, according to Gilbert Rukazambuga, the sector executive secretary.

All processing machines, 27 tonnes of unprocessed rice and 2.5 tonnes processed rice were damaged.

In Nyagatare District, 37 houses, cassava and banana plantations were also damaged by heavy rains in Karangazi sector.

Preparedness efforts

Twahirwa said collaboration with different institutions is still ongoing in streamlining channels for effective communication to reduce vulnerability to disasters.

"We are using social media. Now every district has a WhatsApp group where officials, stakeholders and residents share information,” Twahirwa said.

"Farmers have also created such forums, especially int he west and north, to benefit from early warning system, with weather updates sent every six hours.”

The agency is working closely with other institutions like the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Refugee Affairs, Red Cross, Rwanda Environment Management Authority, MTN-Rwanda, the Ministry of Agriculture, among others.

Plans are underway to give a report on weather every month and ahead of every agriculture season to help farmers to know what kind of crops to plant depending on predicted weather patterns, according Twahirwa.

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High-risk zones project on course

Meanwhile, Protais Mpayimana, division manager in charge of rural settlement at Rwanda Housing Authority, told The New Times on Tuesday that so far there remains more than 6,000 residents to be relocated from high risk zones out of more than 40,000 households that needed relocation.

He said the plan is to complete relocation by end of the year.

"We have combined both high-risk zone project and (the new approach) ‘unconventional approach’ to relocate all those in high risks zones and those still scattered to be grouped into ‘imidugudu.’

The project was allocated Rwf4 billion this year.

The new approach will be launched at the national level next month after establishing committees up to the district level and its timeline is up to 2018, according to Mpayimana.

Those who are vulnerable without land or any other means, he said, will still be supported through different approaches, including Umuganda (community work).

However, Mpayimana said, the number of those to relocate might increase following recent figures.

In a related development, Twahirwa said delegates from 11 eastern African regional countries will be in Kigali next month to discuss weather patterns for March to May.

Each participating country will report on its weather forecast and how they are experiencing El Nino effects. It will draw meteo researchers, donors, beneficiaries, stakeholders, government and private institutions.

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