Landslides, floods: Govt should be proactive

The recent news about the destruction of crops and displacement of people across the country by floods and landslides calls attention to the need for effective government strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Environmentalists have been warning that climate change will increase the frequency of extreme weather events (climate emergencies) such as floods, rising water levels, drought, and heat waves. This is increasingly being witnessed in the country like in other parts of the world.

Adaptation, according to the European Environment Agency, means anticipating the adverse effects of climate change and taking appropriate action to prevent or minimise the damage they can cause, or taking advantage of opportunities that may arise. Mitigation on the other hand means making the impacts of climate change less severe by preventing or reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere.

This week, this publication reported that in Bulambuli District, landslides occurred in Namisuni and Sisiyi sub-counties on Sunday at about 4am, displacing hundreds of locals in several villages. The report indicates that although residents moved swiftly away from the area to prevent death, a district assessment found that 464 households were destroyed. The officials also reported that 371 houses are at risk and an estimated 2,000 people have been affected in 26 villages.

The situation is not any different in other districts such as Katakwi, Jinja, Kabale and Koboko where the heavy rains have destroyed roads and caused the death of livestock amid the destruction of crops. In Koboko, heavy rains killed 504 animals. Kabale experienced a similar scenario.

Whereas the country may not single-handedly stop climate change and its manifestations (floods and drought), the government should make the deliberate choice to act ahead of those emergencies we are able to predict. Waiting for crises to happen before we act is more expensive, less effective and morally questionable. We should improve disaster monitoring and prediction, send early alerts, have evacuation systems ready, and have clear plans on how to help affected people bounce back.

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) in the December 2023 value-for-money audit report, asked the government to expedite the implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions to avert the potential loss of Shs12 trillion that extreme weather events are projected to cause.

Concerning in the report was low funding and lack of prioritisation of interventions to reduce the destruction from extreme weather events and unclear strategies for reducing the impact on the wellbeing of people. We should be proactive and have a clear budget for handling such emergencies.