By Ram Kikama
For over a decade, flooding rivers, mudslides, lightning, prolonged dry spells and heavy storms have devastated residents in various communities and frustrated development efforts in Kasese, a district at the Uganda-DR Congo border.
Mudslides and the flooding of Nyamwamba, Nyamugasani, Mubuku and Lhubiriha rivers have claimed lives and destroyed property, roads, bridges and institutions of learning worth billions.
Thousands have been displaced. Some remain encamped at the temporary internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the sub-counties of Kyarumba, Kitabu and Maliba.
COUNTING LOSSES
Mr Salvari Sunday, a flood victim and a fish farmer along the river valley, says repeated flash floods have frustrated their development efforts.
Sunday, a resident of Nyakabingo III Ward of Central Division in Kasese Municipality, says he recently lost a hathery and four fish ponds containing 2,500 mature fish to flash floods. He estimates the loss at Shs4.5m.
“I lost four fish ponds plus the hatchery, two of them were ready to be harvested and at least I expected the harvest to fetch me over Shs4.5m but all went like that because of river floods,” he tells The Pearl Times.
Asking government’s Ministry of Water and Environment to forge mechanisms of desilting River Nyamwamba, Sunday argues that Kasese Municipality could easily become a fish basket for the entire Rwenzori Sub-Region if River flooding was curtailed.
Kasese Senior Planner Joseph Isingoma notes that in the months of May and June 2024, the district experienced several catastrophes including heavy storms, landslides and floods that claimed the lives of nine people. The May floods displaced about 5,389 people from their homes.
The disasters destroyed infrastructure including roads and bridges. They also felled several acreages of crops, leaving affected families at the risk of famine. Victims are surviving on support from the Office of the Prime Minister.
WHAT IS BEING DONE?
Several flood victims have since been encamped in temporary (IDP) Centers. Hundreds of flood victims have since 2021 been encamped at Muhokya Temporary Camp in Muhokya Town Council in Kasese District after R Nyamwamba burst its banks, claiming lives and destroying properties worth billions.
Isingoma revealed that the process for relocation of the flood victims at Muhokya Camp is in its final stages since government has already secured land for the resettlement.
The senior planner assured the public that the district leadership is working on ensuring provision of basic essentials mostly safe drinking water, sanitary facilities and electricity on the land that will permanently host the flood victims.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, RESTORATION EFFORTS
In an interview at her office, Kasese Municipality Senior Environmental Officer Evelyne Mugume listed farming practices along the River catchment areas, human settlement, fish farming and sand mining as being responsible for the repeated disasters in the river catchment areas in Kasese District.
Mugume also attributes the river flooding to the climate change phenomenon that has increased rainfall patterns and water intensity.
She has proposed concerted efforts towards environmental protection amongst all stakeholders to tame storm water volume by practicing better farming methods on mountain slopes, embracing energy saving efforts to reduce tree cutting, respecting the river buffer zone and bamboo tree planting which she says deters flooding.
Among other measures, Mugume cited river desilting as a way of ensuring a deep river bed as a necessary measure to deter river water overflow, adding that her office would soon embark on evicting people carrying out various activities along the river catchment areas.
Kasese District LC5 Chairperson Eliphaz Muhindi Bukombi says they are working with various development partners towards sensitization of the community on better agronomical practices, dangers associated with staying in river valleys, as well as protection of swamps and forest cover.
Muhindi stresses that the district has collaborated with the central government and Rwenzururu Kingdom to embark on a tree planting campaign that will see over 10 million trees planted on Mt Rwenzori, an initiative that will protect river catchment areas along Rivers in the district.
Dr. Emmanuel Brian Guma, the Team Leader for the Albertine Water Management Zone, which oversees Nyamwamba Water Catchment Area on behalf of the Ministry of Water and Environment, said that as government, they are committed towards stabilizing riverbanks in the district through tree planting and soil and water conservation on the bare hills.
“We as government we are committed towards stabilizing river banks in the District through tree planting and soil and water conservation on the bare hills” said Dr Guma on August 30.
A recent report gave insights on citizens’ perception on climate change. From some calling it ‘natural’ or ‘God’s plan,’ see what Ugandans think about climate change HERE.
It should be remembered that government faces financial challenges in addressing climate change issues. In December 2023, Uganda was seeking a World Bank loan for climate change project after floods damaged roads. (Read Story Here).
Yet, at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, UAE, rich countries succeeded in placing the loss and damage fund under the World Bank, which sets conditions that may make nations like Uganda fail to get financing to mitigate climate change effects. (See Details Here).
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