The territorial coordination of civil society in Nyiragongo (North Kivu) warned, Saturday April 6, of the deterioration of socio-environmental and health conditions in various camps for displaced people in the territory of Nyiragongo, thus exposing them to all kinds of diseases linked to an unsanitary environment.
The president of this coordination, Thierry Gasisiro, speaks of the lack of water in the camps, the absence and insufficiency of trash cans and public dumps as well as the reduced number of latrines. It is in this context that he launches this plea to humanitarian NGOs and the Congolese government so that urgent measures are taken to humanize these sites and offer the displaced an acceptable living environment.
Thierry Gasisiro affirms that in these sites, the hygienic conditions leave something to be desired:
“Trash bins are saturated, toilets and showers remain insufficient compared to the number of displaced people.”
He says that every morning, we see people lining up in front of the toilets to have access to them. The most vulnerable people such as pregnant women, the elderly and children have real difficulty accessing it.
“There are so many people,” he laments.
Civil society is also warning of the insufficient quantity of water arriving in the different camps compared to the needs of these displaced people.
She fears the appearance of epidemics, particularly of water origin, such as cholera.
For this civic structure, it is therefore important that NGOs, the Congolese State and its partners increase the number of toilets and showers in the camps hosting the displaced; but also, set up places where displaced people can throw their rubbish.