Who will tame Kasese river floods?

Residents of Kyarumba in Kasese District cross River Nyamugasani using a makeshift bridge after the May 2014 floods swept away the main bridge. Photo by Enid Ninsiima 

By  ENID NINSIIMA & FELIX BASIIME
Posted  Sunday, July 12  2015 at  01:00 http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/Who-will-tame-Kasese-river-floods/-/688342/2783754/-/syrstnz/-/index.html

KASESE-River Nyamwamba in Kasese District burst its banks again for the fourth time in three years over a week ago and left many families in tears and villages in ruins.

River Nyamwamba flooded into Kilembe Hospital, leaving devastating impact.

In the last three 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.

Since 2013, the central government has repaired bridges that were washed away in the previous floods but has not done the de-silting, which is the root cause of the flooding.

Floods swept away Katiri Bridge and damaged Kilembe Road immediately after construction.

“I think the rehabilitation of Kasese is solely the responsibility of the central government but it has not been serious with the flood problem.

Ministry of Works and Transport should have brought on board other stakeholders like the Ministry of Water and Environment to assess the problem before wasting money on bridges whose lifespan hangs in balance,” the Kasese District Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Johnson Mutungwanda, said on July 1, when River Nyamwamba burst its banks and flooded into Kilembe Mines Hospital and the neighbourhood.

Mr Mutungwanda grew up in Kilembe valley and knows a bit of the history of River Nyamwamba since 1970s when Kilembe Mines ceased operations.
“It would not take a month before a bulldozer could de-silt the river and rechanneled the water.

But over 40 years to date, nothing similar has ever been done and water now floods into the riverside. The actors must come on ground and work out a lasting solution,” he said.

Kasese District environment officer, Mr Augustine Kooli, said after last year’s flooding, a comprehensive district recovery plan of at least Shs50 billion was presented to government for action.

This is the fourth consecutive time River Nyamwamba has burst its banks since May 2013. The July 1 floods left patients and health workers at Kilembe Mines Hospital in shock.
Water gushed into the hospital wards, the generator house and the incinerator before it split Kasese-Fort Portal road into two at Nyakasanga bridge, paralysing traffic on either side of the highway for hours.

The district secretary for social services, Mr Richard Bomera, said critically sick patients were evacuated to other health centres but the rest remained at the facility.

The Kasese District Police Commander, Mr Bob Kagarura, said no death had been reported.
The floods again washed away the gabions (holding walls) that had been erected at both Kayanjuki and Nyamwamba bridges last year.
Mr Michael Musinguzi, a resident, sensed danger and warned other locals downstream to evacuate immediately.

“I saw five coffins floating on the water and I knew the water had exhumed some bodies upstream in Nyamwamba forest where people bury their dead. Then I warned people before the water volumes increased,” said Musinguzi, a boda boda rider.

Kasese has been hit by floods every year since 2010, leading to loss of lives and property, but the magnitude of the damage has escalated since May 1, 2013.

In May, 2013 government said it needed Shs30 billion to de-silt River Nyamwamba. 
Environmental and hydrological experts say floods are likely to persist for years.

“The climate change phenomenon is always after a long period like 10 years. The challenges are expected to be around for more years,” said Mr Jeconious Musingwiire, the western region public awareness officer for the National Environment Management Authority.

“The challenges are trans-boundary since some spill over from the Democratic Republic of Congo because the Rwenzori ranges span across the border,” Mr Musingwiire added.

Solution 
Mr Musingwiire called for integrated water resources management through enhancement of natural vegetation cover by planting trees, reforesting bare grounds, restoring critical river line wetlands and promotion of soil and water conservation systems in the cultivable areas.

He called on people to observe the 30-metre buffer zone along rivers to allow stabilisation of the banks and natural vegetation infiltration to slow the water speed.

River Nyamwamba has flooded over years destroying buildings at Bulembia School and head offices of Kilembe Mines Ltd and other properties downstream.

In 2014 Cabinet directed ministry of Finance to provide Shs39 billion for resettlement of people in all areas considered highly prone to floods and landslides following the May 1, 2013 flooding in Kasese that left many homes in ruins.

The district administration has crafted a disaster recovery plan 2014/2015 which contains the recovery mechanism for the affected areas and measures to reduce vulnerability to floods and disasters of a similar nature.

Rwenzori region

Rivers Nyamwamba, Rwimi, Mobuku, Ssebore, Lhubiriha, Mpanga, Nyamugasani and several streams flow from Mount Rwenzori and most of them empty into Lake George.

People living on the slopes of the mountain practice poor farming methods, which cause soil erosion and landslides that silt the rivers, causing flooding.
Deforestation is another major problem facing the mountain ranges.

More than 90 per cent of the communities on the mountain slopes depend on firewood for fuel, leading to extensive destruction of the vegetation.