Kinshasa, April 9th, 2025 (CPA) – In an interview with a civil engineering expert on Wednesday, it was recommended that the bed of the N’djili river in the east of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, be regulated to prevent flooding. ‘The bed of this river needs to be regulated, as this will enable the water to be channelled properly to avoid obstruction of the flow and the risk of overflowing. Controlling urban development and enforcing strict regulations on building near the river and the bridge also hinders the passage of water and increases the risk of flooding’, said Colonel Luc Lukoki of the military engineering department of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC). ‘Reinforcing the structure of the bridge means that it is essential to carry out frequent rehabilitation and reinforcement work on its structure to improve its resistance to flooding and heavy loads’, he insisted. For his part, a former burgomaster of N’djili reported that the river N’djili, which rises in the hills of central Kongo, experienced its highest ever flood from April 5th to 6th, 2025, resulting in the loss of more than 30 lives and extensive material damage.
‘The N’djili River is a tributary of the Congo River that runs for around 79 km from its source to the river where it flows. It serves as the dividing line between the districts of Mont Amba and Tshangu, crossing the municipalities of Kisenso, Matete and Limete on the left and those of Kimbanseke, N’djili and Masina on the right. It was this river that gave its name to the first commune in the east of the capital, which in turn gave its name to the airport’, explained Henri Paka Dina, former mayor of N’djili. ‘The banks of the N’djili River were used as sites for agricultural practices. As early as 1954, the Belgian colonial government encouraged market gardening in the marshy areas along the river, an initiative taken up again after independence to meet the growing food needs of the urban population’, he revealed. ‘However, the N’djili river has faced a number of environmental challenges: deforestation and illegal occupation have caused erosion, increasing the turbidity of the water and making it difficult to treat it to supply drinking water to Kinshasa. In addition, pollution from domestic and industrial waste has altered the quality of water, a precious commodity for the city’s inhabitants’, he said.