El-Nino rain to increase in November - experts
Motorists negotiate a flooded section of Mulwana Road in Kampala recently. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
Heavy. Country has recorded highest rainfall patterns in 50 years
KAMPALA.
Weather experts at Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA), an agency mandated to forecast weather, have said the heaviest rain received in Uganda in 50-years has started.
Mr Paul Isabirye, the UNMA acting executive director, said during an exclusive interview yesterday that all regions across the country are now experiencing abnormal rain, a condition he said signals the much-talked about El-Nino occurrence.
“El-Nino impact is now more visible because we are getting rain above normal,” Mr Isabirye said yesterday.
El-Nino is a periodic climatic occurrence where waters of the eastern tropical Pacific warm to trigger adverse consequences for global weather. It was first predicted to start in October and several safety advisories to people have since been issued.
The Ministry of Water and Environment has on several occassions issued advisories asking people living in flood-prone areas to move to safer zones, planting of food crops resistant to floods, opening up of drainage systems and no cultivation in water-catching areas like wetlands.
Tame impacts
The advisories are meant to minimise the expected impacts of El Nino like flooding, mudslides, outbreak of diseases like malaria, typhoid, cholera and bilharzia.
Mr Godfrey Mujuni, the managing director of applied meteorological data and climate services, under UNMA, said all data gathered from different weather stations have indicated abnormal rain recorded in the month of October.
Citing an example, Mr Mujuni said in October, Kitgum District recorded 182.9 millimetre (mm) of rainfall above the mean average of 122.3mm recorded over time. Masindi District had 253.3mm against 168.8mm; Soroti District had 198.7 up from 142.1mm that was received previously.
Kampala, according to data, gathered from Namulonge weather station received 220.9mm yet the normal monthly rain has been 127.6mm.
Bushenyi recorded 203mm in the month of October against the usual 155.1mm.
“And we expect the peak to be in November, so people should take precautions, especially when soils are saturated, any little rain can trigger off a disaster,” Mr Mujuni said yesterday.
Variations
District Average rainfall New recording
Kitgum 122.3mm 182.9mm
Masindi 168.8mm 253.3mm
Soroti 142.1mm 198.7mm
Kampala 127.6mm 220.9mm
Bushenyi 155.1mm 203mm
