Goma, 10 July, 2021 / 10:30 pm (ACI Africa).
The leadership of Caritas Australia, the development and humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church in the largest country in Oceania, has said hundreds of thousands of people are still in “urgent need” of assistance more than a month after Mt. Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) erupted.
“Over a month has passed since a volcano erupted, killing at least 32 people and displacing over 400,000 more in the Democratic Republic of Congo, yet hundreds of thousands of people remain in urgent need,” the leadership of Caritas Australia says in the Tuesday, July 6 report.
According to Caritas Australia officials, the aftermath of the eruption saw destruction of infrastructure in DRC’s Eastern city of Goma, which disconnected water supply.
“Three large water reservoirs, which supply more than five districts of Goma with drinking water and an entire water piping system, were severely damaged by lava,” they say and express fear that the people of God in the region risk contracting waterborne diseases.
“There are also fears that a cholera outbreak or COVID-19 may spread quickly amongst displaced people; many of whom are staying in crowded evacuation centres, churches, schools, or the homes of local families,” they further say.
