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Neither homes nor farmland have been spared by the relentless rise of Burundi's Lake Tanganyika.

Increased rains, linked to climate change, have upped the water level by 27 centimeters in recent months.

In the community of Kibenga, residents have erected sand bank defenses as they attempt, often in vain, to hold back the tide of floodwater.

Apolline Kankindi says she used to grow crops such as cassava and beans.

Now, she says, the lake has destroyed it all.


Many here are living in dire situations unable to cultivate food to feed their families.

Kibenga district chief, Bizimana Oscar, says his community is in desperately needs help.

"Life is hard in the community since they do not have fields for cultivation following this rise, and we do not have a way to completely prevent this rise in the waters of Lake Tanganyika."