The agony of losing land and nationality due to the shifting River Semuliki

Part of River Semuliki in Ntoroko district that bursts each year to flood inside Uganda displacing hundreds of people and cattle. Photo by Felix Basiime

BY FELIX BASIIME

NTOROKO: Mr Erick Byabazaire has lived in Kyapa village, Bweramure in Ntoroko district for now 52 years where he owned 5 hectares of land near river Semuliki.

But since 2009, he has lost about 3 hectares to the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) due to river Semuliki changing course inside his land.

“It is costly for me to cross river Semuliki daily (Shs 500 per trip) by a canoe with some of my family members to dig” says Byabazaire, adding, “And when I reach there, Chief Rutahaba demands a goat or a cow or demands between Shs 150,000 to 200,000 to cultivate on my gardens for a year, I have now abandoned the land to DRC because I can’t afford the costs”

“I have one wife, 7 children and 5 grandchildren; I have also adopted 4 children and 2 grandchildren from my brother who died 2 years ago, I support all by growing potatoes and maize on the remaining piece of land which is not enough” he says.

He adds, “When you try to argue your case with the Congolese Chiefs on your land, they ask you that: When you marry a wife and she divorces and you want her back in your home, you go through the same process to re-marry her”

The situation is so painful to people who live near River Semuliki on the Uganda side and Byabazaire is among the over 40 families that have lost their land to DRC.

River Semliki has changed course several times since 1960 as rising water volumes sparked by melting snow caps on Rwenzori Mountains as a result of global warming cause meandering and alteration of the boundary and as such, Uganda is losing territory to its Eastern neighbouring country of DR Congo.

The lives of people on the Uganda side of the river are worsening because they lose their gardens to the Congo side of the river leading to hunger and poverty as agriculture is their main economic activity.

Most people have abandoned their gardens as crossing the river to go and manage their gardens is expensive and risky. At times the river floods and they fear to drown. They also fear crocodiles on the river.

In 2009, the changing course of River Semliki caused confusion between the Uganda and DR Congo governments over the two countries borders.

Changing nationality

According to the district chairman, Mr Timothy Kyamanywa, several communities that used to be Ugandan are now Congolese and a telephone line pole which was installed by Ugandans decades ago now lies within DR Congo. Other land marks that show the changing course of the river at Harukora village in Bweramure include the now submerged pillars of a UTL mast that was 100 metres away 2 years ago.

“When the river shifts, people still know their land but this does not help them, the Congolese Chiefs tell the land owners to consider the land as a divorced wife and ask them to either decide to be Congolese or lose their land” Kyamanywa says.

“There was an upcoming trading centre called Buhotel at Harukora, but now has been abandoned and other residents have shifted to other areas because the river is shifting to the Uganda side” said Mr Herbert Kamuhanda, the district Environmental Officer.

About Semuliki River

It is a major river, 140 kilometres long in DRC and Uganda. The River originates from the Central African Mountains of Nyamulagira in the DRC and flows through Lake Edward, entering the rift valley floor in the DRC on the western side of Rwenzori Mountains and finally the north-eastern end of the mountains where it becomes the international boundary between Uganda and the DRC before entering Lake Albert.

Increasing snowmelt from the Rwenzoris, overgrazing, and other alterations to the watershed have caused bank erosion and frequent changes to the course of the meandering lower reaches of the river.
In some places, Uganda is losing up to 10 metres (33 ft) of land per year on its side of the river to erosion, and silt from the Semliki is gradually filling in the southern end of Lake Albert. In other places, it is the DRC that is losing territory as the changing river course alters the apparent location of the border.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Semuliki River acts as a natural drainage system of the area, contributing 4.89 billion cubic metres of water to the Nile system a year.

According to research conducted by the Climate Change Unit and Uganda's water ministry, 198.5 hectares of ice disappeared between 1906 and 2006 on Mount Speke, one of the highest peaks on the Rwenzori range. Most of the melting occurred after 1987.

Due to this, river Semuliki bursts its banks every year displacing hundreds of people and cattle, destroying property and killing people in the middle and down streams.

In May 2011, about 20,000 residents in Ntoroko starved to death following the floods that hit the district and left some areas cut off.

Why is the river changing course?

According to Mr Herbert Kamuhanda, the district Environmental Officer, several uncontrolled human activities up stream are responsible for both the flooding and changing course of river Semuliki.

“Most rivers; Lamia, Ndugutu,, Nyahuka, Ngite and Kirumia (all in Bundibugyo) are watered by the glaciers on Mount Rwenzori and all empty into River Semuliki” Kamuhanda says, adding, “There are several human activities on these rivers causing flooding and the changing course of river Semuliki”

“At Rwamabare, Kakahenda village in Ntoroko district, water flows to the communities due to siltation of river Semuliki” he says, and adds, “Up stream in Bundibugyo, people cultivate on the river banks and mine sand. At Ntandi (also in Bundibugyo), people throw waste into river Kirumia which is a middle stream of river Semuliki causing siltation and the river bed rises causing banks to burst”.

“At Rukora in Bweramure (Ntoroko), there has been a serious over stocking of animals on free range and roaming, the pastoralists have created several watering points on the river banks causing siltation and the river changes course. The DRC side is okay because there are no cattle” Kamuhanda observes.

He adds, “At Masaka in Butungama and at Kiranga in Rwebisengo sub county, people dig channels to divert water from River Semuliki to water their animals or catch fish and when the river bursts its banks, these channels lead water to the communities and people cry of floods every year since Ntoroko is a flat area”.

Brief facts about Ntoroko

Ntoroko District is located west of the Rwenzori Mountains.  It was carved out of Bundibugyo District in 2010.

It is bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west and north, Hoima District to the northeast, Kibaale District to the east, Kabarole District to the south and Bundibugyo District to the southwest.

Its major activities are fishing, farming and business. Cattle and goat rearing is in Rwebisengo and Nombe, crop farming in Karugutu, Butungama and Bweramule while fishing in Kanara.

Floods have always hit the district to the extent of cutting off some areas while in dry seasons the area is hit by drought. According to the district chairman, Mr Timothy Kyamanywa, the floods have stretched the district budget and resources by increasing the cost of containing malaria especially among the children and malaria drugs get out of stock.

                            

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Semuliki catchment is under a lot of pressure due to increasing population in combination with poor management and governance of natural resources. Deforestation and uncontrolled cattle grazing is leading to widespread erosion. This together with the melting of ice on the Mount Rwenzori, a possible result of climate change, has resulted in siltation, affecting water quality and changing the river course significantly over the years as it enters Lake Albert.

The border between the two countries is endowed with oil and other natural resources.

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