The Rwanda Meteorological Department has predicted that some parts of the country will have above normal rainfall pattern as the rainy season sets in September through December.The Eastern Province is expected to receive normal rains with tendencies of below to normal while the rest of the country will have normal rainfall with tendencies of above normal.In an interview with The New Times, the head of the forecast department, Anthony Twahirwa, said this (rain) season has started a little earlier compared to last year contrary to expectations.He added that rains usually start mid September though they started at the beginning of the month.“The El Nino condition in tropical pacific are evolving, which is the driving mechanisms for the regional climate, including the positive sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies that are associated with increased likelihood of seasonal rainfall over most parts of the country,” Twahirwa explained.Jean B. Nsengiyumva, an official at the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, singled out some areas prone to floods and mud slides. They include the low laying areas of the districts of Musanze, Nyabihu, Rubavu, Burera and Bugesera, which are flooded by River Nyabarongo. Those most prone to landslides/mudslides, according to Nsengiyumva, include the districts of Nyabihu, Ngororero, Gakenke, Burera, Nyamagabe, Nyaruguru, Muhanga, Rulindo and Musanze.“The Ministry is prepared in many ways: Emergency Preparedness plans and contingency plans are in place, a disaster management policy and law have been developed to deal with these hazards,” Nsengiyumva assured.He added that a Disaster/Emergency Communication System is being developed and has reached final stages to communicate in a timely and effective manner in case of such disasters.“The ministry has started the process of recruiting staff at the district level in order to handle disaster issues and so far we have officers in seven districts,” he noted.According to reports, at least one person died from flooding after heavy rains on Saturday in Rubavu district, with several houses destroyed. This follows similar incidents six months ago, where similar floods left close to ten people dead and about 170 homes destroyed in the same area.
