KAMPALA, May 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Ugandan government is on high alert as different parts of the country brace for more heavy rains that have so far killed 8 people and displaced hundreds in several flood-prone districts.
Environmentalists say flood-prone districts will suffer more because the ground is already waterlogged and yet more rainfall is still expected.
In Kasese and Bunyangabu, a total of seven people have been confirmed dead with several others critically injured following heavy rainfall which poured for hours last Thursday, causing mudslides that buried houses.
In Bunyangabu District, four female family members perished after their house was buried by a mudslide in Buruma Village in Katebwa Sub-county.
The Rwenzori West Police spokesperson, Vincent Twesige, confirmed the incident, stating that the victims were inside the house at the time, while the head of the family was away.
“We have lost four people in the mudslide in Katebwa Sub-county. All their bodies have been retrieved and are now at Katebwa Sub-county headquarters awaiting burial. We have advised all residents in vulnerable areas to evacuate as it is not safe,” he said.
In Kasese District, the mudslide occurred in Mapatha Village of Katooke Parish, where three family members died after their house was submerged.
In Kalangala, an island district, floods have displaced 1,000 households.
At Kachanga Landing Site, more than 500 households abandoned their homes to higher grounds after their houses collapsed and business premises got submerged in water.
Hajj Abdul Hakim Kateregga, a Muslim leader at Kachanga Landing Site, said floods have destroyed all Muslim projects worth millions of shillings erected on a 5-acre piece of land.
“We had a clinic that was serving residents, a school that hosted over 400 kids, a mosque accommodating 200 worshippers, 50 rental houses, and a clean water source, all of which got submerged in water,” he said.
At Misonzi Landing Site in Bufumira Sub-county, more than 20 grass thatched mud houses collapsed and more than 500 acres of crops were destroyed.
More than 1,000 people reside at the landing site, most of whom depend on agriculture and fishing as their sources of livelihood. — NNN-AGENCIES
