Bududa landslides: Survivors struggle to cope

Landslide victims in Bududa District are struggling to cope with life after they lost all they had in the calamity.

The victims are now living in churches, schools, hospitals and host families, who are finding it hard to feed and cater for all their needs.

Mr George Nambale, the Shikhururwe Village chairperson, said most victims lost all their properties.
Mr Nambale said due to the overwhelming burden that victims put onto the host families, others have sought to return to their homes, putting their lives in more danger.

“Victims have no food, beddings, materials, clothing to use and this is putting them at much greater risk of getting diseases such as malaria,” he said.
Ms Lorna Watsemwa, 44, a mother of seven, said life has been hard for her.

“I fled my home after the landslide. Now I have nowhere to go and nothing to eat thus this has forced me to go back to my home and die from there because I am finding it hard to continue begging for help people yet I have a big family,” Ms Watsemwa said.
Multiple landslides occurred early this month in Sironko and Bududa districts, killing more than 50 people and displacing hundreds.

In a bid to mitigate the plight of the survivors and victims, Uganda Red Cross has delivered a consignment of non-food items such as utensils, beddings, tarpaulins and jerrycans.
Mr Ibrahim Ssenyonga, a national disaster response officer from the Uganda Red Cross, cautioned victims not to sell the relief items.

“The hills here are so fragile, cracks are almost everywhere and this presents more risk to those who are still living in the hills. The best approach to this relocation plan is government to set a resettlement package that would enable these people buy land elsewhere that is safer,” said Mr Ssenyonga.

He added that their delayed response to the victims was due to inadequate funds and the over whelming disasters all over the country that have stretched them a lot.
Mr Wilson Watila, the Bududa District chairperson, said more support is needed.
Mr Watila also said reactive interventions need to be stopped, adding that government needs to look for a lasting solution for the calamities.

“The calamities are not stopping today in Bududa thus government needs to speed up the resettlement process by using different methods other than relying on building houses which is too slow compared to the rate of disaster every year,” he said.
So far the death toll has risen to 27 and the search has been called off declaring the area, a mass grave.

Butaleja
Meanwhile, non-food items were also offered to 540 families in Butaleja District that were also ravaged by the floods on December 4.
And some of these items include bedding, utensils, jerrycans and tarpaulins.
Women helped. Mr Frances Amulen, an official at the Red cross of Tororo branch, said special package of menstruation health management kits were also given to 460 women. They consisted of pads, soap, towels, buckets and knickers.
France said in most case women in Butaleja have been neglected by their husbands due to poor management of menstruation hygiene.

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