Implementation of a Congolese observatory of urban gullies for research, governance, and early warning system
(2026) EGU 2026 — Location: Vienne (3.May.2026)
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- Authors
Ilombe Mawe, Guy 
Lutete Landu, Eric Mugaruka Bibentyo, Toussaint
- Abstract
- Urban gullies are an emerging geo-hydrological hazard of the Anthropocene, particularly in rapidly urbanizing tropical cities. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), intense rainfall, steep slopes, erodible soils, and uncontrolled urban expansion combine to create highly favorable conditions for the formation and rapid expansion of UGs. Recent national-scale inventories reveal that more than half of Congolese cities are significantly affected, with nearly 3,000 urban gullies mapped. These features can reach tens of meters in depth and width within a few years, causing widespread destruction of housing, roads, and infrastructure, and leading to population displacement, injuries, and fatalities. Recent analyses estimate that approximately 118,000 people were displaced by urban gullies in the DRC between 2004 and 2023, with displacement rates more than doubling after 2020. Currently, about 3.2 million people live within potential gully expansion zones, a number expected to increase dramatically as urbanization continues. Despite this growing risk, major knowledge gaps persist regarding the socioeconomic impacts, rainfall thresholds, and short-term dynamics controlling gully initiation and expansion, severely limiting disaster risk management and early warning capacities. This project aims to address these gaps through the implementation of a Congolese observatory of urban gullies, focusing on the cities of Kinshasa and Bukavu. Building on previous achievements, the project combines geomorphological research, citizen science, and policy advocacy to provide a proof of concept for an operational observatory. The project adopts a participatory citizen science approach, engaging at-risk communities as
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Citations
Ilombe Mawe, G., Lutete Landu, E., Mugaruka Bibentyo, T., Makanzu Imwangana, F., Nzolang, C., Poesen, J., Dewitte, O., Bielders, C., Vanmaercke, M., & Michellier, C. (2026, May 5). Implementation of a Congolese observatory of urban gullies for research, governance, and early warning system. EGU 2026, Vienne. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-22962