Professor Raphaël Tshimanga, Director General of the Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center (CRREBaC) and Director of the Regional Water School, alerted the Congolese authorities on Monday, April 8, 2024, about possible flooding in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

During his speech on the second day of the 11th edition of Science and Technology Week, Raphaël Tshimanga indicated that the floods that hit several provinces of the DRC, with a heavy toll of more than 300 people killed and considerable economic and material damage, could resurface. He spoke on the sub-theme: "How climate change affects our communities in Africa and Europe: a scientific and citizen dialogue for local and global solutions."

"We discussed issues related to climate change in the Congo Basin. The Congo Basin is rich in important resources for the energy transition, but it is also vulnerable to the effects of climate change. We have just seen this with the recent floods observed in December 2023, but which could also occur in November 2024 and December 2024. These same floods that have caused enormous economic damage and loss of human life," he said.

According to Raphaël Tshimanga, the effects that caused the floods in the DRC are of climatic origin but also anthropogenic, particularly due to deforestation.

"We have noticed that these are phenomena that originate from climate change since we have noticed that the floods that are currently observed have a very short occurrence cycle. This is reminiscent of the phenomenon of climate change, but there are also effects of human activities, particularly deforestation, which aggravates the flooding phenomenon. It is important that we invest in implementing an integrated flood management plan in order to prevent other natural disasters but also to protect investments," said Professor Raphaël Tshimanga.

Monday, April 8, 2024 was a special day dedicated to conferences.

Apart from Professor Raphaël Tshimanga, the participation of Professor Haddy Mbuyi Katshia Katshia, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Polytechnic in charge of teaching, was also noted.

Another panel was dedicated to women in STEM, featuring speaker Gisèle Makengo, a professor at the University of Kinshasa. She encouraged girls to love and be interested in science.

As a reminder, this 11th edition of Science Week aims to encourage women to take up science and technology.

According to Raïssa Malu, the aim of Science Week is to promote science and technology, but also to encourage women to enter the technical and scientific fields.

"When we held the tenth edition, we almost wanted to stop, but every year it's another generation. If we stop, we'll be missing out on an opportunity for future generations to participate in this activity. It's for these young people, for these girls, that we're holding Science and Technology Week. Now, we're working to pass the torch to other young people in the different provinces of the DRC," said Ms. Raïssa Malu.

This event positions itself as a bridge between the various scientific communities, thus encouraging a fertile dialogue to address and resolve global challenges through the prism of science.

This year, the focus is significantly on the dynamism and impact of this network of catalysts, these young enthusiasts spread across the country, whose commitment and local initiatives embody Africa's vibrant contribution to science and global innovation.

The impact of SST-11 since its first edition in 2014 is remarkable with a steady increase in participation and engagement.

Through a rich and varied program, this event has already welcomed nearly 78,000 visitors, trained 450 student facilitators and organized more than 200 interactive scientific workshops, thus demonstrating its commitment to the dissemination of science and technology.

The activities of the day of Tuesday, April 9, 2024 will be held this time at the Gombe Institute from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission is free.

Mitterrand MASAMUNA / Zoom Eco