KASESE – Hundreds of people in Kasese District spent the night of Wednesday, May 6, 2020 in the cold after devastating floods swept away their homes.
The floods, which followed days of heavy rain, saw major rivers in the area such as River Nyamwamba burst their banks, leaving a trail of destruction.
In the hilly Kilembe Sub County, River Nyamwamba overflowed, letting water into Kilembe Hospital and flooding the bigger part of Kilembe Town.
Simon Lumika, a resident, told PML Daily that the incident occurred at around midnight, creating panic and forcing people out of their homes.
“We are out of our beds in waiting what may happen to us since we are not sure of which direction this flood might cover since its dark. Police is trying to control people to remain in there places and to keep watching,” he said.
We could not immediately get in touch with the area leaders to assess the impact of the situation. More details will be coming up later in the day.
In the last seven years, rivers Nyamwamba, Mubuku, Sebwe, Rwimi, Nyamugasani, Kitakena and Maliba have burst their banks and destroyed human life, property, infrastructure, crops and livestock.
The rivers flooded on May 1, 2013, May 8, 2014, May 7, 2015 and July 1, 2015.
One of the key causes of the flooding is the silting of the rivers. However, no deliberate effort has been made by government to de-silt the rivers.
Silting narrows the river course and the surging water volumes burst the bank or change the course line.
