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Save Semuliki riverbanks from further damage

Some of the houses that are at risk of collapsing in River Semuliki in Ntoroko District due to expanding banks of the river

What you need to know:

  • All nature-loving people and responsible authorities should carry out a campaign to ensure that corrective measures are funded to restore the Semuliki riverbanks and by extension, the pride and livelihoods of the communities residing near the river

Last year, we reported that more than 6,000 households in the border district of Ntoroko in western Uganda, have been displaced due to flooding since 2019. Residents in areas affected by flooding have lost their houses, pasture lands, and gardens, among other things, to the encroaching waters of River Semuliki.

As communities in the vicinity of River Semuliki relocate in search of drier lands and pastures for their cattle, they must also contend with restrictions associated with access and living adjacent to the Semuliki Game Park.

In many media stories and interviews, we have highlighted the suffering of the displaced communities, who are at risk of disease outbreaks and have had their farming, trade and schooling routines disrupted, among others.

With the flooding problem showing no signs of abating, there are now fears of widespread erosion along the riverbanks of Semuliki, which has the potential to result in border conflict, river silting and further devastation, among others.

Local leaders and experts have pro- posed a solution that involves the use of constructed gabions to protect the river- banks from being continuously swept away. This is the type of solution that needs to be funded as soon as is practicable to slow down flooding and displacement and maintain the integrity of the river- banks.

Further to what the restoration teams have proposed, there should be riverbank tree planting and other soil conservation measures put in place. This should be done in partnership with affected communities so that they understand the gravity of the consequences of poor land management practices and become stakeholders in protecting the environment.

Communities must be engaged to realise the benefits that will arise from concerted conservation practices. The river is not the enemy and the whole ecosystem should be nurtured to ensure that the farmers, ordinary residents, the game reserve, and nature conservationists all emerge as beneficiaries of these efforts.

We may be limited on the land surface, but we can do so much better with the environment we have been gifted. It is now time for the government, through the Disaster Preparedness ministry and all emergency relief partners to ensure that we protect the Semuliki River and adjacent lands for posterity.

All nature-loving people and responsible authorities should carry out a campaign to ensure that corrective measures are funded to restore the Semuliki riverbanks and by extension, the pride and livelihoods of the communities residing near the river