Floods wreak more havoc in Uganda

Flash floods occasioned by ongoing torrential rains have continued to wreak havoc with more people affected and roads cut off.

The latest casualties are residents of Gomba and Kalungu after culverts on the Villa-Maria- Kabulasoke Road which connects both districts over River Katonga were washed away on Friday. This is the second time in five months culverts on this road have been washed away.

Currently, motorists from Kalungu connecting to Gomba are using the Sembabule –Kisozi-Kifampa Road, which makes the journey longer by 120 km.

In the neighbouring Kassanda District, water levels in Lake Wamala have started to rise, with floods submerging people’s homes and cutting off roads connecting to different landing sites.
Lake Wamala is one of the freshwater bodies in Uganda specifically in the districts of Mityana, Gomba and Kassanda.

“People are stuck and all their businesses and properties have been destroyed. They do not have anywhere to go, and it’s the leaders who can help them get out of this dire situation,” Mr Geoffrey Kamya, the Kassanda District fisheries officer, said in an interview on Saturday.

At Bugolo Landing Site on the side of Kassanda District, some parents are trapped in flooded houses with their children and all household items soaked in flood waters.

The floods have disrupted business at other landing sites as well.
“We have written to the Office of the Prime Minister to help rescue residents stranded at landing sites,” Mr Kamya said

Mr Eric Kagaba, one of the local leaders, said there is a need to urgently evacuate the affected households.

“Whether they illegally settled in these areas or not, we need to save their lives, they are facing imminent danger,” he said.

In Mityana District, some of the residents and local leaders have appealed to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to intervene.

“She [Nabbanja] can either come herself or direct the Minister of Disaster Preparedness to come and rescue these people,” Mr Wilson Wasswa, a resident of Maanyi Trading Centre in Mityana District, said.
Mr Julius Tumusiime, another resident of Maanyi, said floods have completely cut off some areas. 
He said close to 5,000 people are  failing to access health facilities.

“Many people live on islands, but get services from the mainland. So in this situation, nothing can go on and those who fall sick are going to die,” he said.

Lake Wamala is associated with several rivers and wetlands, including rivers Katonga and Kibimba, which drain into Lake Victoria. 

At Lwajali Swamp connecting Luweero and Kayunga Districts, Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) is currently undertaking the construction of a bridge. The section is currently affected by floods.
 In Sembabule , the road connecting the district to Masaka City through Mateete is also on the verge of being cut off as Kyoja Swamp threatens to submerge the nearby areas.

In Kalungu, Lwera Swamp on the Kampala-Masaka highway also started flooding on Saturday after water levels increased on both sides of the road, worsening the situation on the route.

At least 300 residents in Lwera particularly at Kamuwunga Village have already vacated the area after water submerged their houses.

“If it continues raining, Lwera is going to be like River Katonga and vehicles will not move,” Mr Ronald Ssemanda, the chairperson of Kamuwunga Village, said.

River Katonga Bridge
At the damaged River Katonga Bridge on the Kampala-Masaka highway, engineers from Unra at the weekend started assembling machinery to explore possible ways of restoring the traffic flow.

Mr Samuel Muhoozi, the acting Unra executive director, said they are going to embark on the works after the water has subsided.

“We have assessed the situation and are now ready to commence restoration works once water levels subside and reinstate the damaged section at Katonga. From today [Friday] mobilisation of materials will start," he said.

All motorists taking the route either from Masaka side or Kampala are still using the Mpigi-Kanoni- Sembabule –Villa Maria-Masaka Road.

Katonga Bridge, which is the main gateway to Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi handling major cargo to and from, caved in last Thursday following persistent flash floods.

The Uganda National Metrological Authority (UNMA) has already warned that the current rains may turn into El Niño (extremely heavy rains).

According to Mr Bob Alex Ogwang, UNMA’s acting executive director, this means that while the El Niño-southern oscillation is currently neutral, there is approximately a 50 percent chance of El Niño developing in the second season of 2023. 

As a result, he said Uganda is on the lookout for an El Niño phenomenon.

The March-May rains have left a trail of destruction in the country with violent winds, floods, mudslides, hailstorms, and thunderstorms claiming lives and destroying a number of public infrastructure. 

Extreme weather
Extreme weather events have displaced people in several districts. They include; Kampala, Wakiso, Masaka, Kayunga, Oyam, Butalega ,Mityana, Kassanda,Kalungu ,Amolatar, Apac, Nakasongola, Bullisa, Ntoroko, and Kasese. 

Compiled by Al Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Jessica Nabukenya and Dan Wandera