Calling for a quick revival of this sector, Muhaiwer said: “When you go to Seyoun you will find many people who used to work in agriculture now working as porters.” He added that because farm work is physically demanding, many young people are lured to other kinds of work.

           On 24 and 25 October 2008, rain fell on two million hectares of land for about 30 hours continuously, amounting to a total rainfall of some two billion cubic meters of water, said Muhaiwer. “The amount of water was twice the capacity of the waterways in the valley, causing flooding that destroyed the agricultural land and washed away the soil and crops,” he said.
             The floods killed 47 people and displaced 25,000 others, according to the government. The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation estimated the total damage to agriculture in the main valley area at more than 72 billion Yemeni Riyals (about US$360 million).
             Muhaiwer also warned that the green cover that was lost in the floods might lead to desertification. “We lost 25 percent of the palm trees in the valley, 30 percent of Ziziphus trees, which bees breed on, and 70 percent of Mesquite trees [which were partly blamed for exacerbating the floods].”
             He said in summer, when temperatures rise and winds are stronger, less green cover would cause more sand to creep from the valley’s waterways towards the cities, leading to desertification in some areas and affecting agricultural production as well.
             In addition, less greenery may cause plant diseases and plant-harming pests. “Now we are witnessing a strange death of trees in Al-Hota area. Until now we don’t know why. We have to tackle new phenomena very quickly,” Muhaiwer said.

Many people were displaced and being receiving assistance now. Buterere community was pounded by heavy rains

Rain-induced floods have displaced over 8,000 people in a commune north of Bujumbura, the Burundian capital, and damaged at least 1,200 houses as well as crops, an official has said.  "The rains have destroyed many houses and crops; others are still flooded," Moise Ndayisenga, the administrator of Buterere Commune, said. More rain fell on 12 April in Buterere - a low-lying area - but the displacement and damage caused has not been fully assessed because some locations are still inaccessible, the official said. At Maramvya, a settlement in Buterere, another downpour on 12 April displaced 450 households and destroyed at least 100 homes, he said, adding: "Half of Buterere Commune's population might become destitute."

 Flood waters had reached areas that were previously unaffected, "even moving down a road leading to Bujumbura International Airport,” Ndayisenga said.
Residents said the situation had been exacerbated by the absence of drainage channels. The nearby River Kinyankonge burst its banks, as it has in previous rainy seasons, causing more suffering to residents who have appealed for a bridge to be built over the river and for the digging of drains.

In efforts to prevent an outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery, Red Cross officials have been spraying Buterere villages, where pit latrines have been destroyed by the flood waters.
            Government officials have also responded to the flooding in Buterere, with Immaculée Nahayo, minister for national solidarity, visiting the displaced and distributing maize flour, blankets and kitchen utensils.

Source: www.irinews.org

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