Overviewing the influencing factors of flash floods and assessing their impacts on human life with a focus on Burundi, mitigation measures

Flash floods are recurrent and among the most destructive disasters in Burundi, affecting many people and causing significant socio-economic damage every year. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the influencing factors of flash floods, assess their implications for human life, and highlight mitigation measures. The results indicate that the main drivers of flash flooding in Burundi are a combination of climate change, geo-hydrological conditions, a rapidly growing population, and competitive socio-economic activities such as construction, land cover change and land use that hinder water infiltration, leading to rapid runoff. Flash floods destroyed houses and schools, damaged nine drinking water sources in Cibitoke, causing deaths and injuries. The floods also led to the spread of water and sanitation-related diseases in Bujumbura, resulting in economic losses, widespread displacement of people across plain provinces of Makamba, Bubanza, Cibitoke, Rumonge, Bujumbura Municipality, and Bujumbura Rural. Furthermore, flash floods triggered landslides, fragmentation of riverbanks, and degradation of aquatic ecosystems and the environment. Although it is nearly impossible to eliminate the frequency and occurrence of hydro-climatological-related catastrophes, their adverse consequences on human life can be mitigated. Therefore, to lessen the socio-economic burdens of flash floods, it is essential to implement proper management and operation of dams and reservoirs, and regular maintenance of existing drainage systems. Inclusive disaster training and awareness for the indigenous populations, poverty eradication measures, and public access to the early warnings and real-time information. Moreover, we highly recommend the rehabilitation of hydrometeorological stations to record weather data, the advancement of flood prediction studies, and the promotion of climate change mitigation measures.