Over 4,000 refugees hit by floods in Adjumani
Refugees fetch water at Dzaipi settlement in Adjumani District early this year. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
The displaced have sought shelter at the neighbouring settlements while others are spending sleepless nights in the cold.
More than 4,000 refugees from Nyumanzi Refugee Settlement and local communities have been displaced by floods triggered by torrential rains in Adjumani District.
The displaced have sought shelter at the neighbouring settlements while others are spending sleepless nights in the cold.
The floods left a number of properties damaged, including pit-latrines, homes, crops, roads, culverts and bridges.
The latest findings are contained in a joint assessment report by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) with the Adjumani local government and partners at the weekend.
The loss and damage is estimated at Shs70 million.
Speaking to the Daily Monitor in an interview, Mr Moses Nyang, who is in charge of refugee welfare, said the affected settlements have been experiencing floods every year.
“Everything is down, pit-latrines have broken down and I am worried that if the situation remains like this, waterborne diseases such as cholera can easily break out. We appeal to the partners, the district to act faster to save people,” he said.
The report recommended relocation and resettlement of all the flood-affected refugee households in blocks C & D and some parts of blocks G and F.
The report further stipulates harnessing water harvesting technologies such as dams to support irrigation during the dry season and supporting flood-affected households with shelter.
The district chairman, Mr Ben Anyama, said: “We have notified authorities from Kampala to relocate refugees.”
Two weeks ago, human rights defenders across West Nile recommended a decentralised approach of handling disaster instead of waiting for responses from the OPM in Kampala.
