Floods, landslides kill dozens in Uganda

By Nangayi Guyson 

Red workers cross through a flooding area in Western Uganda [Photo Credit: Red Cross]

Kampala, Uganda (RTN) - Dozens of people have been reported dead in following continuous heavy rainfalls in the western and eastern parts of the country.

Heavy downpour that started early December have caused have caused destructive flooding in several low-lying parts of the country and landslides in the mountainous regions.

Destructive wind and hailstorms have ravaged plantations and crops across Uganda.

Red Cross says at least 16 bodies have been recovered following the occurrence of landslides in western Uganda.

 

"Our team continues to recover more bodies including some that are trapped by cocoa trees in Bundibugyo hills. It is a very devastating moment," the humanitarian agency said in a tweet on Sunday.

Bundibugyo District chairperson Ronald Mutegeki said River Tokwe burst its banks, displacing more people in the area on Sunday and several others are still missing.

“It’s a very terrible and unfortunate situation. A lot of property including crops and houses have been destroyed, bridges have been washed away, roads submerged paralyzing the transport network,” he said.

This has forced many displaced residents to seek refuge in schools and churches, Mr. Mutegeki said. He urged people living in areas prone to floods and landslides to relocate to safer areas.

Bwamba County MP Richard Gafabusa on Saturday said the government has been informed to urgently distribute relief support to the affected communities.

Irene Nakasita, Red Cross spokeswoman, said an aid team has already been deployed to search and recover bodies in Bundibugyo district, which was affected by the landslides after days of heavy rainfall.

"We have provided body bags and blankets to manage the dead in a dignified manner before handing them over to families and hospitals," she said.

The eastern parts of the country have also been suffering floods and landslides.

People search for victims' remains at the site of a landslide in Shisakali village of Bududa district in Uganda June 2019. (AFP)

In the mountainous areas of Eastern Uganda around Mount Elgon, more than 20 people have been killed as a result of floods and mudslides in the last week in Uganda.

In a statement on Friday, Uganda's minister of state for disaster preparedness, Musa Ecweru, , said: "Four people were killed in Bududa district and another four including two children in Sironko district."

"Over 10,000 people have been displaced in eastern Uganda alone and we are currently reviewing villages' household registers to establish the number and names of missing persons," Ecweru said.

The government said has so far secured more than $5.4m for an emergency to purchase inflatable boats, tarpaulins, blankets, relief food, and drugs for water-borne diseases and culverts for fixing washed away bridges.

The notorious bad weather has been blamed on the Indian Ocean Dipole - a climate system defined by the difference in sea surface temperature between western and eastern areas of the ocean.

At the moment, the ocean around East Africa is far warmer than usual, resulting in higher evaporation and moist air flowing inwards over the continent as rain: the hallmarks of a "positive" dipole.

Scientists say 'worse is yet to come' as East Africa reels from deadly floods, blame Indian Ocean dipole behind extreme weather

Scientists warn that as ocean temperatures rise because of climate change, Indian Ocean dipoles which is part of East Africa will become more frequent and severe.

This is the second rainy season Uganda is undergoing and has reached its peak in most parts of the country. The Uganda National Meteorological Authority has predicted heavy rainfall will continue throughout December.