KINSHASA, 18 August 2010 (IRIN) - About 3,000 people in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo's Equateur province are still suffering the effects of a flood caused by torrential rains which began in late July.

"There have been diseases such as diarrhoea and dehydration, there is shock; children have been abandoned. It is a deplorable situation," Nicolas Akpanza Mobuli, a community leader in the Basankusu area, told IRIN.

He said approximately 1,800 people had been left without shelter by the deluge, which destroyed eight bridges and submerged 280 houses. Many fields are under water, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which noted that most of the population depended on agriculture.

Some relief supplies such as household goods, medical and mosquito kits, and blankets have been delivered to the area, while 69 tons of food, enough to last 45 days, are due to arrive in late August or early September.