Name: How bamboo can save homes in Kinshasa DRC
Uploaded: 2025-12-19T14:58:27.177Z
Duration: 3 min 4 s
Description: Ravines threaten to swallow thousands of homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One man is on a bamboo planting drive to prevent dangerous soil erosion.

Ravines threaten to swallow thousands of homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One man is on a bamboo planting drive to prevent dangerous soil erosion.

Kinshasa

In Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Chinese Bamboo Green Wall project, coordinated by Bertrand Mboya, has planted over 15,000 bamboo trees on the city's outskirts over the past seven years. The initiative aims to prevent soil erosion and slow the formation of trenches that threaten homes, especially as rapid urban growth and heavy rains have led to severe flooding and the displacement of thousands of residents each year.

Bamboo's dense root network helps stabilize the sandy soil, retain water, and act as a natural barrier against erosion. The project also highlights bamboo's role in improving soil quality and purifying the air in the congested megacity. Despite setbacks with other tree-planting efforts, the team continues to educate the community and expand bamboo planting to protect Kinshasa's environment and residents.

How bamboo can save homes in Kinshasa DRC

Bertrand Mboya is a man on a mission to protect his environment. The university graduate is passionate about tackling climate change and its devastating impact on communities. He's the coordinator of a project called the Chinese Bamboo Green Wall. For seven years now, the initiative has been busy planting bamboo on the outskirts of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The plants will help prevent soil erosion and hopefully slow the creation of trenches that threaten homes across the city. So far we've planted more than 15,000 bamboo trees near this university. The idea from an environmental perspective is first of all to reinforce the soil structure. The soil in Kinshasa is vulnerable to erosion because it is very sandy. The bamboo we plant frees up a huge quantity of organic material. When the bamboo leaves fall, they decompose and produce nutrients that improve the soil structure. Kinshasa is home to some 17 million people. Rapid unplanned urban growth means many live dangerously close to the trenches or gullies that are created or widened by heavy rain. In recent years, severe flooding has repeatedly hit Kinshasa with devastating consequences. Some 12,000 people in the DRC lose their homes each year because of these gullies, according to research by the Earth and Life Institute of Belgium. We are facing a very big problem here, and it is all caused by insufficient discipline. We tried to solve the problem by planting trees. We added about 1,500 acacia trees, but most of them were cut down. Today, I doubt we even have 100 of them left. But Bertin Mboya and his team remain undeterred. They continue planting bamboo and educating the community about its vital role. The fast-growing bamboo's dense root network helps stabilise soil and retain water, forming a natural barrier against erosion. And it has even more virtues, especially beneficial in a congested megacity like Kinshasa. This bamboo that we have planted participates in the filtering of the ambient air and of vehicle and other emissions that are released everywhere. We are part of the air purification cycle. For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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