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Floods drive Ntoroko cattle farmers into the wild
Cattle in Kyobe Village, Bweramule Sub-county, Ntoroko District last week. Leaders in Ntoroko District have appealed to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to allocate a portion of land in the Tooro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve to farmers displaced by floods to graze animals. PHOTO | ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
- There are a few elevated spots left by the roadside which are shared by the animals and the displaced people.
Leaders in Ntoroko District have appealed to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to allocate a portion of land in the Tooro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve to farmers displaced by floods to graze animals.
The district has been grappling with floods for a month after River Semuliki burst its banks. The floods have left many farmers with no land to graze their animals. Many of them are currently herding animals on the few available elevated spots along the roads, which are shared with other families displaced by the floods.
Dr Patrick Businge, the district production officer, said more than 90,000 of the district’s 185,000 cattle are in submerged areas, adding that there are few grazing options left including parts of the game reserve.
“We are appealing to UWA to consider designating part of the game reserve as a buffer zone for cattle keepers, allocating about one kilometre for each affected sub-county neighbouring the reserve. Relaxing their restrictions would allow our farmers to graze their animals,” he said in an interview at the weekend.
He added that the floods could last more than two months, as the rainy season is expected to begin in September.
Dr Businge said because of the absence of grazing space, the cattle are suffering from health issues, with some losing weight and milk production reducing.
“Some people have started moving their animals to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there is sufficient pasture. Those unable to relocate are stuck here. As a district, we have vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), but no feed for the animals. Even the silage prepared by some farmers has been submerged. We urgently need new land,” he said.
In several flood-affected sub-counties, cattle can be seen standing in water for most of the day. At night, they are forced to share raised roadside areas with residents seeking refuge from the rising floodwaters.
The situation has been worsened in some parishes such as Kiraga, Haibale, Masaka, Rukora, Budiba, among others where water levels have risen to more than five metres, causing some animals to drown. The most affected livestock are goats, sheep, and poultry, which reportedly died in large numbers.
An August 21 district assessment by the Uganda Red Cross Society reported that 2,355 households, representing 11,775 people, were severely affected by the floods. The affected sub-counties are Bweramule, Butungama, Rwebisengo, Kanara, Kibuku, and Rwebisengo Town Council.
The Ntoroko Resident District Commissioner, Rt Maj John Mugabirwe, said: “The Office of the Prime Minister needs to purchase land for these people. We have already identified two sellers willing to sell land to the government. Currently, we are encouraging everyone in flooded areas to evacuate, as their houses are weak and could collapse, which we want to avoid.”
Mr James Kakubi, a resident of Makodo Village in Bweramule Sub-county, said since August, his herd of more than 500 cows has been trapped by floods.
“My cows have not been eating, and they no longer produce milk,” he said.
