Heavy rains destroy roads, bridges in Kanungu District

Several roads, bridges and gardens have been devastated following heavy rains that have been pounding Kanungu District for the last two weeks leaving passengers who want to connect to the neighbouring districts of Rubanda and Rukungiri stranded.
The Kanungu District councillor for Mpungu, who doubles as the secretary for social services, Mr Frank Byaruhanga on Sunday identified some of the destroyed roads as Kanungu-Kerere-Hamurwa, Rugyeyo-Kambuga and Kanungu-Nyamirama- Bwambara-Rukungiri roads, among others.

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  He said preliminary assessment indicates that food crops like maize, sorghum, millet, beans cassava and animals have been destroyed by the floods

Mr Byaruhanga also said that the heavy rains have destroyed the Ntungwa Bridge that connects Kanungu and Rukungiri districts and the Ishasha bridge that connects Mpungu with Kinaaba sub counties.
“The situation is so bad that residents in Kanungu District are threatening to stage a peaceful demonstration over the destroyed road sections and bridges so that government can quickly come to their rescue,” Mr Byaruhanga.
He said adding that there is need for the office of the prime minister to urgently intervene with relief because several crop gardens were destroyed.

The Uganda National Roads Authority station engineer in-charge of Kigezi region, Mr Augustine Kabanda said on Sunday that he had already sent a team of engineers to assess the magnitude of the damage so that they can quickly rectify the problem.
“Our team of engineers are already on the ground assessing the magnitude of the damage and after compiling their report, we shall come in and fix the damaged bridges and road sections. There is no need of demonstration because this shall take very few days,” he said.

The districts of Kabale, Rubanda, Kisoro and Rukiga are facing the same challenges but the district leaders say they are doing their best to work on the destroyed road sections and bridges.
“We are doing our best to work on the destroyed road sections and bridges but we need support from the central government because the damage in some parts is overwhelming,” the secretary for works at Kabale District council, Ms Catheline Kyomugisha said.

However, Kanungu and neighbouring districts are not isolated cases.
Early this week, the bridge at River Muzizi that connects Kyegegwa and Kibaale Districts was washed away making transport difficult along that road.
Also, the road that connects the three sub-counties of Hapuuyo, Kigambo and Kakabala was cut off following the heavy rains that poured on Monday.
Dwellers and school going children were left stranded since it is one of the main roads in the district.

Last Sunday, motorists were left stranded after flash floods cut off Malaba- Kampala highway at Agro Bridge, 4 kilometres from the border.
The motorists, mainly drivers of cargo trucks, were denied entry and exit to Malaba town following a heavy down pour, which started at 9pm and lasted for three hours.
Early last week, Leresi Bridge on Mbale- Butaleja Road was also damaged making transport along that route difficult.
The bridge on River Manafwa, which was constructed in 1960s, was submerged after a heavy down pour.