Floods wash away six bridges in Bundibugyo

Effect. A section of the road that was washed away into River Chabbi in Nyahuka Town Council, Bundibugyo District. PHOTO BY LONGINO MUHINDO

What you need to know:

Background. The floods come hardly two weeks after a similar occurrence displaced hundreds of families.

Transport in Bundibugyo District has been paralysed after heavy rain at the weekend washed away six bridges and displaced hundreds of families.
The most affected areas include Nyahuka Town Council, Kisuba, Busaru, Kirumya, Ngamba and Mabere sub-counties.
River Chabbi in Nyahuka Town Council has burst its banks, washing away the bridge that connects to Busaru Sub-county. Another bridge that connects Nyahuka and Bundimulinga on Butogo Road has also been swept away by floods.
In Kisuba Sub-county, a bridge on Butogo River was also swept away as well as the newly constructed bridge that connects Mabare and Ngamba sub-counties.
The Fort Portal-Bundibugyo-Lamia road has been partially cutoff by a landslide in Mairo 6 Village near Bubukwanga Trading Centre.
Mr Micheal Mutungi Natukunda, the maintenance engineer at the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) Fort-Portal branch, told Daily Monitor yesterday that traffic is moving on well since one part of the road was affected.
“I think this has been caused by the continuous rains,” Mr Natukunda said.
Property and crops have also been destroyed and hundreds of people have been left homeless.
Mr Julius Magezi, a resident of Bundimulinga IV Village in Nyahukaa Town Council, said his house has been submerged by floods.
The Busaru Sub-county chairperson, Mr Mugerwa Tibbs Babiha, appealed to the government for immediate assistance.
The district chairperson, Mr Ronald Mutegeki, said they are working with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and aid organisations to help the affected people and restore the affected bridges.
Mr Mutegeki asked residents in areas that are prone to floods and landslides to relocate to safer ones.
This is the third spate of floods in the district in less than two weeks.
On July 21, more than 2,000 people were affected by floods in Ntotoro and Kirumya sub-counties.
Mr Bob Akankwasa, the director for disaster response and management at the Uganda Red Cross society, said they have received the first consignment of food aid that includes 200 bags of posho that will be supplied to some of the victims of the floods.