Floods destroy crop gardens in Busia district

Busia, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Floods have destroyed homes and crop gardens in some parts of Busia district. The floods have been triggered by high water levels on River Malaba.

River Malaba burst its banks on Thursday evening and water has kept sweeping into gardens of rice, maize, yams among others.

The floods have mainly affected two sub counties of Busitema and Buteba in Busia district.     Uncontrollable volumes of water have also cut off the major bridge that connects Busia to Tororo district leaving means of transport paralyzed and also entered into people’s homes.

Steven Okunyuku, the LC3 chairman for Buteba sub county says that the high level of water has destroyed crops that were about to be harvested.

He says the problem is beyond their level as a sub county and now the district should take up the matter and inform the government for possible interventions so that residents can be helped.

Fidelis Okwara, a resident of Manakor village says that too much water is coming from the Kenyan side pouring in the bridge that can’t hold. He says that water has swept away his one acre of rice that was meant to be harvested next week.

Hadija Kalim, another resident says that the floods swept through all her garden of beans and cassava. She is now worried about food shortage especially during this period of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Godffrey Ojim, the district councilor for Buteba has appealed to government to speed up  plans of tarmacking the 24 kilometer road from Busia to Totoro and expand on the bridges along the road so that they can accommodate large volumes of water.

Jimmy Ngolobe, the Busia district environmental officer says that residents have encroached on the river banks to illegally practice farming.

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