Virunga Volcanoes Supersite Biennial Report: 2020- 2021
[report]
Charles Balagizi, Georges Mavonga, Albert Kyambikwa, Arsène Sadiki, Honoré Ciraba, King Iragi, Jonathan Kavuke, Sandra Nzamu, Bonheur Ngangu, Niche Mashagiro, Marcellin Kasereka, Faustin Safari
(+23 others)
2022
Zenodo
The Virunga was established in November 2017 as a permanent Supersite with the aim of improving the geophysical scientific research and Geohazards assessment in support of Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR) in the Virunga Volcanic Province and the Lake Kivu basin. The CEOS guarantees a free access to Earth Observatory (EO) data, while the pool of collaboration built around the Supersite potentially supports the access to equipment for ground-based data collection and processing. From November 2017
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... November 2019, in addition to implementing the Supersite; collaboration was built between the GVO and the world leading observatories and agencies, the free access to EO data with first steps towards collecting some ground-based data, training of some local scientists, and the adhesion to the Virunga Supersite of world top-level geoscientists in the field of active volcano monitoring and hazards assessment. The later allowed the assessment of volcanic hazards around Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira, which included the production of hazards maps for future volcanic eruptions management, the collection of ground-based data to produce Risk and Recovery mapping. On the evening of May 22nd 2021, Nyiragongo volcano suddenly erupted from three vents that opened along a system of fractures on the southern flanks of the volcano. Two major lava flows were produced with one having its direction toward Goma city. Fortunately, these lava flows stopped their run before reaching the densely populated areas, with one being only at ~1 km from the Goma international Airport. Still, the lava flows had already destroyed about 3,600 houses while another 1,000 were severely damaged causing at least 30,000 persons to be in the need of shelter and other humanitarian assistance. The volcanic eruption further caused the death of 38 persons, disrupted the water supply infrastructures in Goma and the surrounding: estimated 550,000 persons lost access to water. An intense seismic activity followed the eruption and persisted for ~2 weeks, and [...]
doi:10.5281/zenodo.6338729
fatcat:b5p3ryr2tvgohawiciqpmmmpb4
