According to the management of Virunga National Park, the eruption of Mt. Nira Kongo is similar to the 2002 eruption that killed 250 people.
In September 2020, Katcho Karume, head of the Goma Volcano Observatory, said the lava lake was rapidly filled and the risk of eruptions increased over the next few years, but Karume also said that the earthquake would induce early differentiation, he said that it was possible.
The observatory wasn't working properly for almost a year before the explosion, and after banks around the world cut money on suspicion of corruption, they had an internet connection to connect a remote monitor and regularly observed employees. Could not pay the fuel cost to do.
At this point, employees manually downloaded data from a memory card while visiting the volcano several times. August 2020 According to a Geophysical Research Letters report comparing Nyiragongo's past and current activities, lateral eruptions may occur between March 2024 and November 2027. did.
About Eruption
On May 22, 2021, the side of Mount Nyiragongo exploded, causing lava to flow towards Sesame City, about 20 km south of which has a population of 2 million. The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has urged local residents to evacuate.
It was estimated that the lava would travel at 1 km per hour (0.62 mph) and people could escape the lava eventually stopped in the Buhemu district of Sesame's northern suburb, destroying hundreds of houses or buildings in the area.
Despite previous reports of lava flowing into the city and reaching Sesame International Airport to the south of the city, it was later confirmed that the airport and the city's downtown were not affected. However, as the lava flow had crossed the N2 road, the sesame seeds were separated from Benishi to the north.
Evacuation
About 8,000 people from Sesame crossed Rwanda to evacuate. UNICEF said that evacuees could find their homes destroyed due to a lack of water or electricity. According to BBC News, more than 3,000 people across Rwanda have been officially identified as enemies by Rwandan authorities.
Apart from those who fled to Rwanda, UNICEF added that 25,000 people are also known to have fled to the northwest of Sul.
On May 23, after receiving the news that the flow of sesame had stopped, the Rwanda emergency management department reported that most of the refugees who fled from Lubabu had returned home.
The International NGO Safety Organization on May 23, noted that lava appears to be flowing towards the Rwanda border, sesame seeds were advised to move west to ensure the safety of northern humanitarian workers.
Impacts Of Earthquake
DRC Communications Minister PatrickMuyaya said the tremors of the earthquake are still being detected and advises against vigilance and unnecessary travel.
On May 24, a strong aftershock struck the city. On May 25 Richter-scale earthquake occurred nearby, destroyed some buildings, and raised concerns about an imminent eruption and new cracks in the lava lake.
On May 27, the authorities ordered some evacuation of sesame seeds, and tens of thousands of people were evacuated for further risk of eruption. The military governor of North Kivu, NdimaKongba, has ordered the evacuation of nearly a third of the city's residents in District 10.
Kongba said that the magma found in Lake Kivu below and near the city could erupt, possibly causing a lake eruption in the lake. Sesame residents crossed the Rwanda border and fled from Gizni, but some residents of Gizni were shivering with repeated tremors, and then some people fled east. The biggest problem was with 4.9. The tremors were felt 90 km (56 miles) as far as Rwanda's capital, Kigali.
On June 7, after seismic activity subsided, the Congolese government announced that it would initiate a phased response of residents evacuated from the city.
Casualties And Damage
A spokesman for the Patrick Muyaya government announced on the night of May 23 that 15 people had died. Nine people were in a traffic accident while on the run. Four prisoners of war died trying to escape from Goma's Camp Mungen prison.
UNICEF estimated that more than 170 children were missing and 150 children were separated from their families. An additional suffocation victim was found in District 5 on May 24, increasing the death toll to 20.
Some victims died on May 24 after walking through cooled lava and inhaling smoke and toxic gas. The announcement was made after government spokesman Patrick Muyaya revealed that the number of missing persons could increase as the search continues.
The Norwegian Refugee Commission reports that 600 homes and five schools have been destroyed. 17 villages around the volcano have reported damage, but now they have stopped on the outskirts of Sesame.
According to the United Nations, as of May 25, 1,000 homes have been destroyed and 17 villages have been destroyed.
On May 28, authorities announced the forced evacuation of about 400,000 people from sesame seeds caused by the explosion. The evacuation is in the middle of a 'state of siege' previously declared by President Felix Tsisekedi for rebellion activities in the region.
Criticism
Residents have criticized the Sesame Volcano Observatory, for not giving warnings of the eruption. The World Bank abolished funding for scientists to make observations in 2020, and the observatory stopped monitoring the volcano a few months later.
On May 10, 2021, the observatory warned of increased seismic activity in Niragongo, before it had filled the volcano's lava lake, raising the possibility of an explosion or earthquake-related disaster.
The lack of funding was what made it difficult for the observatory's scientists to warn the public about the eruption, according to Selesin Volcano Observatory's academic director, Serestin Kacereka Mahingda. Mahingda also advised Sesame people to avoid going to places swept away by lava from volcanoes and to refrain from traveling unnecessarily because lava is harmful and toxic.
Written By- Vanshika Gosain
Edited By- Akanksha Sharma
.jpeg)
0 Comments