Spatial and temporal characteristics of rainfall in a data-scarce region: case of Kinshasa and Bas-Congo in Democratic Republic of Congo

The aim of the present paper was to improve understanding of the rainfall dynamics in Bas-Congo and Kinshasa provinces, in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The first objective of the study was achieved by analysing the spatial correlations of monthly, seasonal, annual and individual monthly rainfall amounts of Kinshasa and Bas-Congo. The second objective was achieved through investigating and quantifying the temporal trends and their spatial variations. The results demonstrated notably high average inter-station correlation of +0.63 for dry season series, followed by monthly rainfall series with an average inter-station correlation of +0.58. However, there was no station with a stable monthly rainfall regime, i.e. with mean precipitation concentration index lower than 10% (it varies between 14.2 and 21.9%). Moreover, Kinshasa experienced an increase of rainfall with an average annual rate of change of +4.59mm/year for the period 1961-2006. The results will be helpful for efficient water resources management and for mitigating the adverse impacts of future extreme drought or flood occurrences.