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Hunger looms in aftermath of floods
Damaged. Farmers in their flooded garden in Karusandara Sub-county, Kasese District in May 2018. PHOTO BY ENID NINSIIMA
What you need to know:
- Mr Alex Maseraka, the district planner, says floods have impacted on the district budget since they have had to allocate Shs70 million each financial year to mitigate flood effects.
- He adds that the Comprehensive Disaster Management Plan of Shs25 billion was made and submitted to the Office of Prime Minister but since then it has never been implemented.
KASESE. Floods have hit Kasese District since 2013 with devastating effects, including destroying gardens, homes, hospitals, roads and bridges, displacing hundreds of people and killing livestock.
The flooding has had a great impact on food production and food security in the district as each time it floods, hunger sets in.
Some floods develop slowly, while others such as flash floods can develop in just a few minutes and without visible signs of rain as has been the case in Kasese.
Early this month, more than 200 residents of Karusandara Parish, Karusandara Sub-county in Kasese District spent sleepless nights after River Sebwe burst its banks and water spilled into people’s houses and gardens.
Mr Christopher Kalyamubiri, the Karusandara Sub-county chief, says the destruction caused by floods from the mountains is high.
“We actually need over Shs10 million as a sub-county to re-channel this water back to its original stream so that we minimise such losses in future. Unfortunately, we don’t have that money. We appeal to the district and other well-wishers to come to our rescue and save the situation, otherwise we are unable as a sub-county and our people are suffering,” he says.
The area councillor, Mr Santos Tumwine, says at least 25 homesteads and several acres of maize, coffee, banana and beans were damaged.
Mr Tumwine adds that the affected villages include Sebwe, Kivengyenyi, Kabaka, Kabuga and Omugando, all in Karusandara Parish in Karusandara Sub-county.
Kasese has been prone to floods and on May 1, 2013, more than eight lives were lost and infrastructure including Kilembe hospital were left in shambles by flash floods.
Victim laments
Floods continued for three consecutive years when rivers: Nyamwamba, Mubuku, Nyamugasani and Sebwe burst their banks. As a result, hundreds of people have been displaced and relocated to other areas, thereby making them unproductive.
Ms Florence Kamara, a mother of seven, says: “I relocated to Kabukero Trading Centre after the floods hit the area. I saw water entering my house and everything was submerged. I decided to save lives by fleeing.”
She says all her gardens were destroyed, adding that she is now unable to cater for her children.
“We have lost our crops to water. We had reached the harvest season but now beans, maize and bananas are gone, we are badly off as I speak. We are trying to look for some food but it is not been easy, we need help from government,” she says.
Mr Gideon Ntabose, the district vice chairperson, says the central government should speedily provide aid to the affected families, repair damaged infrastructure and find a lasting solution to the continuous floods.
Food production hindered
The district production officer, Mr Julius Baluku, says floods have hindered food production, adding that as a result, food prices have increased.
“Effects of floods on food production was hard felt in 2013, 2014, and 2015 when we had it rough after devastating floods swept the whole district, but since then, in 2016, 2017 and 2018, only three sub-counties experienced floods,” he says.
He says the production of potatoes has gone down since 2013, adding that flood-ravaged Karusandara was the hub of sweet potatoes production in Kasese District.
“Potatoes production in Kasese has reduced even since the district was hit by floods. We used to get the sweet potatoes from Karusandara, but after the disaster, the production has gone down drastically and the prices have gone up,” he notes.
Soil infertility
Mr Baluku says there has been soil infertility in the areas such as lower lands of Karusandara where deposition of soil has been taking place due to soil erosion in hilly areas as a result of poor methods of farming.
He says the department has established soil conservation and protection demonstration farms to enable farmers learn modern agriculture methods.
“We have for the first time integrated activities in the disaster management plan in all sectors so that we can mitigate the floods and their effects through community sensitisation to adopt proper methods of farming across the district,” he says.
Impact on budget
Mr Alex Maseraka, the district planner, says floods have impacted on the district budget since they have had to allocate Shs70 million each financial year to mitigate flood effects.
He adds that the Comprehensive Disaster Management Plan of Shs25 billion was made and submitted to the Office of Prime Minister but since then it has never been implemented.
“We made a comprehensive disaster management recovery plan that was handed over to the Office of the Prime Minister but since 2014 when it was prepared, it has never been implement, although some activities that were highlighted in the plan such as de-silting River Nyamwamba, that had caused a lot of havoc, were done by Egyptian government in partnership with Ugandan government,” Mr Maseraka says.
Shortage of funds
The district environmental officer, Mr Augustine Kooli, says his department is underfunded.
“We cannot do much as a department to mitigate floods without funds. We only operate on a Shs3 million budget for the whole year and only Shs1 million per quarter. We are waiting for government to come to rescue the district since the floods are not the only disaster that the district is faced with” Kooli says.
He, however, adds that rehabilitation of River Nyamwamba banks has already started, with bamboo trees being planted on the banks, among other measures. He says the activity is being funded by non-governmental organisations.
“What caused the worst floods in 2013, 2014, 2015 were the wild fires that burnt the Rwenzori Mountains and the vegetation takes long to mature; between five to 10 years” he adds.
