Earthquakes and Tremors

Environmental problems in Africa are therefore partly anthropogenic or human-induced (though not necessarily by Africans), which is the result of the effect of chemical and human waste on all forms of ecological and human life. But natural causes cannot be overlooked and consist of such natural calamities as earthquakes.

The geo-history of Africa places the continent as the oldest among the land masses of the world. Propounders of the theory of the Gondwanaland assert that Africa is the genesis of the eventual breakup of the various continental land masses. For instance, they claim, land mass of South America seems to fit into the gulf of Guinea.

The Great Rift Valley of Eastern Africa, which is a living example of an active clash of tectonic plates continues to be active. Earthquakes and volcanic action are therefore a rampant occurrence in the area. A few years ago in Goma, eastern Congo, a volcanic eruption destroyed the sizable portion of a sprawling city along the banks of one of the biggest rivers in the region. Its aftereffects are still being felt.

This episode looks at the issue of earthquakes as an environmental hazard which unfortunately cannot be prevented.

AFRICAN VIEWS