The Causes of Flooding in the City of Kinshasa Province

Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is located in the west of the country, on the southern bank of the Congo River, at the western end of the Malebo Pool. The increased frequency and intensity of precipitation, linked to climate change, envisaged by some experts, could further increase this risk in future on certain parts of the capital. Although it is a city, it has the administrative status of a province. A flood refers to the temporary submersion, whether natural or artificial, of an area by water. On average, floods affected more than 1 million people between 2019 and 2025, and the city of Kinshasa suffered severe flooding several times, due to problems with urbanization, waste and gutters that were poorly built to standards and very badly maintained.