Karangura: Caught between Covid-19 pandemic and water crisis

A child dumps waste in river Mpanga in Karangura in Kabarole District, Uganda. Photos by Felix Basiime 

THURSDAY JULY 16 2020
https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Karangura-Caught-between-Covid-19-pandemic-water-crisis/688334-5594232-65ni8y/index.html

https://infonile.org/en/2020/07/karangura-caught-up-between-the-dual-danger-of-covid-19-pandemic-and-water-crisis/

In Summary

• NWSC has over 10,000 water connections (households) in Fort Portal city alone and at times consumers complain of the chocolate colour of the tap water pumped into their homes especially during the rainy season due to the contamination upstream.

By Felix Basiime

Young girls are getting pregnant. Domestic violence is on the rise. These are just some of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and its restrictions in an area where water is scarce, says Mr Kikora Masereka, of Kyahwire zone, Karangura Sub County in Kabarole District of Western Uganda.

“The challenges we have got during the lockdown due to Covid-19 is increased pregnancy due to young girls walking long distances to fetch water at far water sources,” Masereka said.

“Previously men and women have been fetching the water, but now due to schools’ closure, parents send their children to water sources and boys have taken advantage of that,” he adds.

“We are now starting a dry season (June to August); we are going to face a lot of challenges of domestic violence because of long queues at water sources. It will force women who fetch water more than men to delay at water sources. And usually men think that they were not at the water sources but had gone for other men,” he added.

Mr Chris Tumuranzye, the LCI chairperson for Kyahwire zone, says he is facing a lot of challenges leading a community that is water-stressed amid the dangers of Covid-19.

Residents of Kabende village in Kabarole District crowd at a water source to fetch water.

He said more than 6,000 residents in the area scramble for water at two sources that serve four zones. Others who are scared of the crowds and queues are forced to walk over one and half kilometers to fetch water from River Mpanga, he says.

“The government tells us to stay at home, but we have to walk to water sources where there are no sanitizers at the taps,” Kikora Masereka, a resident says.

People are forced to crowd at boreholes and shallow wells thereby no social distancing is observed at all, a basic requirement to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Karangura with a population of 12,368 is the source of River Mpanga that snakes through Kabarole, Fort Portal City, Kyenjojo, Kamwenge and Kitagwenda districts before it empties into Lake George. The upstream part of the river is highly contaminated. Lake George connects to Lake Edward through the 40-kilometer Kazinga channel and Lake Edward is connected to Lake Albert through River Semuliki before they connect to River Nile.

“We have a gravity flow scheme that supplies only two wells that serve four zones; Kazingo (Bukuuku sub county), Katuuru (Mugusu sub county), Katuuru Upper (Karangura) and Kyahwire (Karangura). There is always a scramble for water at these sources; kids are beaten; this has created bad blood between women as they fight due to the long queues, so we want government to avail us more water sources,” says Tumuranzye, the LC I Chairman for Kyahwire zone.  

He adds, “We have tried to teach the people of this area to avoid Covid-19 by using clean water for drinking, water at their toilets, washing hands all the time and to wear face masks, but it is a challenge amid a water crisis.”

Mr Vincent Mugumya, a resident of Karangura, says the people in his area have no safe water for consumption since their water is either stagnant or originating from shallow open wells.

An elderly woman washes hands at Kazingo trading centre in Bukuuku sub county, Kabarole District

“In the hills it is very rocky, while in lower areas the water table is high, so people dig very shallow latrines and faeces mix with water, which means the people downstream drink contaminated water,” Mugumya says.

Contamination of water sources

Ms Maureen Kajumba, the acting sub county chief of Karangura, says the issue has been worsened by the widespread trend of open defecation.

“Most families spend the whole day up in the hills in their shambas digging from morning to evening and even have their breakfast and lunch from there so what do you expect after eating?” she says. “In the gardens there are no toilets and they dig very far away from their homes, so when it rains, the floods and landslides sweep the waste in the river and other water sources.”

She says managing hygiene and sanitation is also worsened by the topography of the area, a mountainous region with six rivers and their tributaries.

“When it rains, all the faeces and waste is washed into the rivers,” she says. “Despite using enforcement and sensitisation by NGOs like NRDI, Protos and Hewasa, people’s attitude is still poor to hygiene and sanitation,” she observes.

Kajumba is worried that human activities in Karangura are contaminating the rest of the region downstream.

“All the gravity flow schemes are contaminated and I am scared that since Karangura feeds the entire region because the source of river Mpanga is here, it is not only us who are going to be affected but the entire population of Kabarole district downstream” she says.

A man in Karangura sub county, Kabarole District extracts sand from river Mpanga. The activity leaves water contaminated

Mr Mwesige Fenehansi, the LC I chairperson for Nyarukanga village in Karangura, is trying to address the problem by mobilizing all LC I chairpersons to organise all households in the sub-county in groups of 10 model households, which will begin communal cleanup of each home including setting up standard latrines. But the long-standing issue of water scarcity has multiple competing causes in the region that will require a comprehensive approach from many stakeholders, district leaders said.

There have been only two cases of Covid-19 thus far; the patients were admitted at Fort Portal regional referral hospital. The first patient, a 29-year-old truck driver, tested positive for coronavirus on May 8, 2020 and was later discharged in June after testing negative, according to Dr. Solomon Mugarura, the head of Covid-19 team at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital.

The second Covid-19 patient was admitted at the same hospital on June 20 from Bwera Hospital in Kasese. He is a Ugandan who was sent back from DR Congo authorities.

So far no case from the communities has been reported in the region.

Ms Olive Tumuhairwe, the District Health Inspector for Kabarole district, says Karangura has about 79 per cent latrine coverage, but less than 10 per cent have improved sanitation facilities, which are safe and clean facilities.

“The sanitation and hygiene coverage in this area is not so good, because we have a majority of the structures which are temporary and those that compromise the environment and the water safety,” Tumuhairwe says.

According to Kabarole District Wash Master Plan 2018-2030, access to water services is low (58 per cent) and is less than the national average estimated at 70 per cent at the time.

The district master plan indicated that there is a high level of contamination of drinking water sources (64 per cent) especially in rural areas. This compromises the quality of water for domestic use.

The adoption of hand washing with soap at household level is very low, and less than 10 per cent of households had improved sanitation facilities with hand washing facilities with water and soap.

Some of the makeshift pit latrines in Karangura, Kabarole District, Uganda have water facilities for hand washing but have no soap

Since hand washing is key to stay the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, there is a high chance of the communities becoming infected with Covid-19 if community transmission begins in the region.

Geological challenges

According to the district chairman, Mr Richard Rwabuhinga, loamy soils composed mainly of sand and silt with a small amount of clay have made it impossible for engineers to build Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) structures. These soils make up about 70 per cent of the district, and have caused the district to lose lots of money in latrines that collapse.

Tumuhairwe says that in Harugongo sub county, pozzolana rocks made up of volcanic material have also made it hard to dig pit latrines.

The high water table in areas such as Karago town council, Karangura and Bukuuku also make constructing latrines difficult, since the waste can easily enter into the groundwater or run into rivers and streams when they flood, Tumuhairwe says. A water table is the level at which underground soil and gravel is completely saturated with water. The water table is generally higher in areas with high density soil related to clay content.

Mr Chris Amanyire, a Field Officer with Natural Resources Defense Initiatives (NRDI) says to solve the issues of sanitation in areas with a high water table, they are promoting eco-san toilets.

Ecosan toilets work without water, separating urine from faeces and allowing waste to be recycled by turning the waste into compost or liquid fertiliser, which can be used to fertilise soil or crops.

The Acting Sub County Chief, Karangura, Ms Maureen Kajumba shows one of the makeshift pit latrines that are close to water sources river Mpanga in Karangura, Kabarole District, Uganda

“We just open the surface and start construction… The household contributes Shs700,000 and NRDI pays the balance of Shs2.3 million” Amanyire says. NRDI also runs a community project of planting trees along River Mpanga and provides free seedlings to the community.

Ms Rita Kiteme,a social scientist with the Ministry of Water and Environment, says that issues identified in Karangura include a high level of erosion because of the gradient of hilly areas.

“This has caused siltation of the river due to human activities cultivating close to River Mpanga, so Albert Water Management Zone focused at homes in Karangura because it is the upstream of River Mpanga,” she says.

The ministry has done some community trainings of technologies that could minimise issues of erosion such as constructing rain water harvesting trenches and formulating contours where the gradients are very steep.

“After two years, [National Water and Sewerage Corporation] NWSC in Fort Portal has been able to report that the water is a bit better,” she says.

Water treatment at NWSC plant in Fort Portal had tripled in the previous years, as they used more chemicals to purify the water of contamination, according to the NWSC Fort Portal branch manager, Mr Denis Muramuzi.

Muramuzi says it is at times very expensive for them to filter the polluted water from River Mpanga because it requires a lot of chemicals.

“Between 2010 to 2016, the chemical consumption at NWSC Fort Portal plant increased by 3.1 times from 0.0120 Kg/unit of water to 0.0375 Kg/unit of water treated,” he says. “It is all due to the increasing pollution levels on River Mpanga which serves as our source of raw water supplying Fort Portal and Kabarole District,” he adds.

NWSC has over 10,000 water connections (households) in Fort Portal city alone and at times consumers complain of the chocolate colour of the tap water pumped into their homes especially during the rainy season due to the contamination upstream.

Community attitude

Ms Lydia Mutiibwa, a Senior Environment Health Officer with the Ministry of Water and Environment attached to rural water and sanitation in Western region, says that the residents of Karangura have a big challenge of washing hands despite knowing the dangers and being taught what to do.

“Here people have been taught to wash hands but you find someone has a toilet but no water or some have water without soap, some have soap but no water yet hand washing in totality stops most diseases including coronavirus. You find five out the 20 households we visited were able to do proper hand washing; the rest know the importance of hand washing, but behavioural change is wanting so they don’t practice it,” she says.

The district health inspector Tumuhairwe says the district has been holding a community awareness campaign throughout the whole of last year to improve hygiene and sanitation in the area.

A child defecates near a toilet in Karago town council. Open defecation is common in the area.

Water coverage in Kabarole District

According to the Kabarole District water officer, Mr Bruno Basude, the status of water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion (2018/19), water coverage was 80 per cent while functionality of water sources was at 88 per cent, functionality of water committees 41 per cent and latrine coverage at 81 per cent.

Hand washing facilities at household level were at 28 per cent in 2018/19, hand washing facilities at schools at 14 per cent, pupil: stance ratio at 65:1, household sanitation at 85 per cent, about 171 (35 per cent) villages without a water source and 323 villages (65 per cent) with a water source.

The waterborne toilets account for only one per cent of the facilities.

According to the Water Supply Atlas, the access rates in Kabarole vary from 7 per cent in Kijura Town council to 95 per cent in Bukuuku Sub-County. Kabarole has 1,137 domestic water points which serve a total of 258,053 people – 178,127 in rural areas. About 207 water points have been non-functional for over five years and are considered abandoned. Kabarole has three piped schemes.

This story was produced in partnership with InfoNile with support from Code for Africa and funding from the Pulitzer Center and National Geographic Society. 

How floods cleared tourist sites in Kasese

Sylevest Walyuba Kule, the team leader at Kiwa Heritage hot spring removes debris that filled thesite when river Nyamwamba burst its banks in May and flooded in the low areas. Photo by Joel Kaguta.  

SATURDAY JUNE 27 2020

https://www.monitor.co.ug/artsculture/Travel/-floods-tourist-sites-Kasese-Nyamwamba-Nyamughasana/691238-5583916-3dlg1p/index.html

In Summary

• Tourists used to park along the Kasese-Kilembe road and would be directed by a wooden sign post. From the first gate, tourists would be welcomed by a path lined with reeds and bamboo trees to the reception which was also built with reeds and bamboo trees and roofed with spear grass. All these were washed away
• Site managers were previously charging Shs2000 and Shs5000 as entry fee for local and international tourists respectively.

By Felix Basiime, Joel Kaguta & Enid Ninsiima

Proprietors of tourist sites in Kasese are counting losses caused by the devastating floods that befell the area in May. The same tourist sites had already been grappling with the negative effects of Covid-19, considering that tourists were no longer accessing these recreation centres.

For the better part of last month, the rivers Nyamwamba, Nyamughasana, Mubuku, Lhubiriha and Thako burst their banks, following heavy down pour leading to destruction of infrastructure estimated to be worth Shs50 billion. The Rwenzori area is no stranger to floods, as this has been a recurring problem since 2013.

This time around, more than 100,000 people were displaced after the floods spiralled into communities destroying property worth millions of shillings.

Most of the tourism sites in Kasese are counting losses caused by the devastating floods that befell the area in May. The same tourist sites had already been grappling with the negative effects of Covid-19, considering that tourists were no longer accessing these recreation centres.

Renovation process
Without the income from tourists and the floods that hit on May 7, 10 and 22, stakeholders in tourism sector from the Rwenzori region say they urgently need to renovate these sites, at a time when they are facing a year or even two of reduced income.

Kiwa Heritage located along the Kasese-Kilembe road is one of the tourist sites that has been greatly affected by floods.

At this site, revelers enjoy the hot springs and learn about the Bakonzo historical heritage which was initially kept in a grass thatched museum. Established in September 2013, Kiwa Heritage has been a top destination for both local and international tourists.

Tourists at the site enjoy swimming in the hot water, a sand beach with a spacious volley ball pitch on the banks of River Nyamwamba and Kikonzo cultural entertainment. The Kikonzo entertainment, known as ‘Ekikibe’, is a beautiful and melodic sound from the flute, drums that are accompanied by xylophone entertainers.

But the floods left Kiwa Heritage hot spring and the nearby fish ponds submerged in water from River Nyamwamba after it burst its banks.

Tourists used to park along the Kasese-Kilembe road and would be directed by a wooden sign post. From the first gate, tourists would be welcomed by a path lined with reeds and bamboo trees to the reception which was also built with reeds and bamboo trees and roofed with spear grass. All these were washed away.

Floods were catastrophic
Selevest Walyuba Kule, a team leader at Kiwa Heritage and conservationist says the recent floods were catastrophic, adding that a number of grass thatched structures acting as dressing shelters for those soaking themselves into the hot water for medicinal purposes were submerged. The fish ponds, pool table, and community museum were also buried by the floods.

“All my efforts and the money I invested in this community site were wasted in just minutes by the disastrous floods” Walyuba says.

He says more than 50 people who were employed at the site and the community were directly and indirectly benefiting from the site. Residents of Kasese District that will suffer loss include women that had been making the local baked bread made out of banana and cassava flour known as Ebbwanga’ in the Lhukonzo language. These women had also been making amatsayidongo from fresh maize, which they would then sell to tourists at Kiwa Heritage.

Counting losses
Walyuba says he had invested Shs200 million. Kiwa Heritage site would host a total of 300 local and international tourists per week. But most of the investments have been washed away by the floods, yet the site had already been suffering on account of Covid-19 which had significantly reduced the number of international tourists.

He also recalls that in 2019, at least 150, 000 students from secondary schools across the country visited the site for study purposes. They would primarly study about geothermal movements and the Bakonzo culture. He says he needs about Shs80 million to renovate the site but that he does not see where to get the money unless he secures a soft loan from micro finance institutions.

Site managers were previously charging Shs2000 and Shs5000 as entry fee for local and international tourists respectively. To recover from the current losses, Walyuba says Kiwa Heritage might be forced to increase entry fees to Shs10, 000.

Similarly, Rwenzori Mountaineering Services (RMS) was also severely affected by the floods and lockdown due to Covid-19. The community tourism organisation offers tourism services around the Rwenzori Central circuit trek.
Dan Mbahimba, the executive director says RMS lost trees worth millions of money.

He says an assessment report indicated that that Mubuku River swept about 10
acres of their land, on which they had grown 10,000 eucalyptus trees. According to Mbahimba, the floods also washed away two cottages at Mihunga Safari Lodge in Rwenzori Mountain National Park.

“This is our worst season in terms of business. As we were trying to come to terms with the losses we incurred during the lockdown, floods came and washed way what was left of Rwenzori mountaineering Services,” Mbahimba says.

He says under normal circumstances, May and June are always peak seasons for local and international tourists to visit the Margherita peak.

10, 000 members make losses
Mbahimba says each tourist who climbs the Margherita peak is charged $1365 (Shs5.1 million) and some of this money benefits the community. He revealed that each season, the company receives between 300 and 500 clients.

“About 10, 000 members of this community who benefit from this tourism site through Rwenzori Mountaineering Services are now counting losses. Our clients have cancelled their bookings and some are asking for a refund. These funds had been spent on preparing for their visits that would commence in March to until September,” Mbahimba says.

In the meantime, chefs, porters and guides have since been asked to remain at home until the World Health Organisation declares that Uganda is free from Covid-19. He expressed concern that the company might not receive clients for a whole year should Covid-19 continue ravaging the world.

William Kambale, the managing director Mahoma Tours, a Kasese based tour and guide company says domestic tourism in the district is on a standstill because people’s movements are curtailed by curfew restrictions. He urged government to embark on developing and promoting domestic tourism.

As the world waits for aircrafts to start operating again, the Kasese District tourism officer, Jovia Kabugho, says there is need for government to ensure that the impassable roads which have developed gullies are constructed.

Due to floods, most of the bridges were washed away, while others remained impassable. Others are still blocked with logs and boulders”, Kabugho says.

In order to rebuild the tourism infrastructure that was destroyed by the floods in the Rwenzori region, James Okware the senior warden Rwenzori mountains National Park says Uganda Wild Authority (UWA) needs Shs1 billion.

“If you visited the park now, you can’t believe it. There was a whole stretch of 100 meters that experienced landslides. These later submerged into the rivers before they burst their banks, causing total destruction,” says Okware.

He says UWA also needs the money to redesign the trails and put up permanent swings that could not be easily destroyed by water once rivers flood. Since the water levels are now high, Okware says putting up a bridge, wouldn’t be a sustainable solution.

Rwenzori national park covers part of Kasese, Bunyangabu, Kabarole, Ntoroko and Bundibugyo districts and is the source of all rivers that have been bursting banks or causing mudslides since 2013.

He says the lockdown, which affected the incomes of the community had increased the number of poachers in Rwenzori National Park. Floods have restricted mobility of rangers, which has in turn increased cases of poaching.

He says that UWA needs at least one month to put up temporally structures in order to allow their staff and tourists, if any to hike the mountains as they plan for permanent renovation.

Poaching threat
Okware observes that during the lockdown, poaching activities have increased due to the poverty among the community members.

“We have registered 13 cases of poaching since April. These numbers are expected to increase if the status quo is maintained,” he says.

Okware says the majority of the cases are cutting or debarking of Prunalis African, a medicinal tree in the park, charcoal burning and timber sawing among other things.

He adds that in the Rwenzori national park, chimpanzees were the only animals under threat since these are eaten by locals. But the list of animals and plants under threat is now increasing as people that had been employed by tourism activity in the area look for alternative sources of livelihoods.

In addition to the jobs, Bashir Hangi says UWA also shares tourism incomes with the locals and this too has been affected by a combination of the lockdown and floods.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) spokesperson, Bashir Hangi says, “We are going to do an evaluation of the damage caused by floods and landslides on tourist infrastructure in Kasese so that we restore even better ones”
He added, “ Since Covid -19 pandemic, Uganda loses $ 2.5 million per month by not having tourists visit Uganda. Our priority now is resource conservation and reducing human-wildlife conflicts and this may take a year,” he says.

Experts offer solutions as floods ravage Uganda

Disaster. A boda boda cyclist carrying a casket containing the body of one of two children who were killed by floods, wades through a flooded section of a road in Kigota Cell in Isingiro District on May 3, 2020. PHOTO BY FELIX AINEBYOONA.  

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Experts-offer-solutions-floods-ravage-country/688334-5544056-hxo5guz/index.html

WEDNESDAY MAY 6 2020

In Summary

• The western region National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) coordinator, Mr Jeconious Musingwire, said wetlands function as natural sieves and water retention centres but that this function has been eroded overtime. So the immediate wetland restoration is key to stem off the rising water levels countrywide.

By Felix Basiime, Robert Muhereza, Felix Ainebyoona, Malik Fahad Jjingo, Bill Oketch, Philip Wafula & Sam Caleb Opio

Many parts of the country have been severely hit by floods that have claimed lives and destroyed crops.
The heavy rains have ravaged settlements and displaced thousands, leaving businesses paralysed.
The major water bodies, including lakes Victoria (in the central region), Albert (western) and Kyoga (eastern), and several rivers, have spilled their excess water into the surrounding areas, displacing thousands of people.

Last week, at least 400 families were displaced and their property destroyed as a result of rising water levels in Lake Albert on the Ntoroko District side.
So far, five people have died in Kamwenge and Isingiro districts as a result of the floods.
Environmental experts have, however, weighed in on the causes of the floods and offered solutions on what ought to be done to restrain them.
The activists single out degradation of the catchments, especially around mountain slopes and river banks as the major causes of the floods.

Western region
The western region National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) coordinator, Mr Jeconious Musingwire, in an interview with Daily Monitor on Monday, attributed the current floods to environmental degradation.
“We are currently receiving more rainfall in the hilly and mountainous areas than in the lower lands. In the hilly areas, land has been poorly managed,” he observed.
He explained that the steep slopes are above 60 degrees, making it unfavourable for farming.

“Whenever you attempt to cultivate on the steep slopes, there will be surface runoffs, especially during these heavy rains because of cultivation.

Residents seen recently carrying their luggage at Nansere landing site in Masaka District relocating from their homes after their homes were submerged by water following rising water levels in Lake Victoria

“When it rains, the bare steep slopes cannot retain the runoff and water goes into the gentle slopes, where it cannot be retained because of poor agricultural practices. It is never retained in the lower land too because they used to be occupied by wetlands, and those wetlands have been degraded,” he explained.

He reasoned that since the wetlands no longer serve their natural purpose due to degradation, water, which is lways loaded with soil, empties into the water bodies.
“The sedimentation and loading of the soils from the poorly managed catchments leads to shallowness of the lakes, thereby spilling the excess water,” Mr Musingwire said, adding: “In fact, the recent floating island on Lake Victoria is as a result of soft soils being cut off from the banks due to encroachment.”

The rising water levels have been gradual since October last year, according to a May 1 statement by the Minister of Water and Environment, Mr Sam Cheptoris.
The same concern was echoed by the Kabale District natural resources officer, Mr Rogers Akatwijuka, who blamed the occurrence of floods on the poor farming practices in the hilly areas such as Kigezi sub-region.
Regarding the rising water levels around Lake Albert and bursting of the banks of River Semuliki, the Ntoroko District environment officer, Mr Herbert Kamuhanda, explained that rivers Kirumya, Humya, Tokwe, Nyaruru, Rugo, Ngite, Nyahuka, Sundira, Ndugutu and Lamia that connect to River Semuliki, burst their banks due to the free flow of water on the mountain slopes as a result of poor agricultural practices.

“Poor human activity on the hill slopes in Bundibugyo District and population pressure are responsible for the floods,” Kamuhanda said, adding: “Uncontrolled human activities and the glaciers on Mount Rwenzori are melting more rapidly due to climate change, thereby releasing more water to the streams that feed River Semuliki.”
In the central region, the Masaka District environmental officer, Ms Rose Nakyejwe, attributed the current floods to people building in protected zones around the lakes.
She said they have always warned people against building too close to the lakes to avoid such incidents but they have not been taking them serious.

Mr David Kureba, the coordinator of the National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE), said the current floods are a result of human activity due to wetland degradation.

“We are doing a lot of fuel burning and emissions from the vehicles and industries, which all affect the climate. Floods are symptoms of climate change and this is just the beginning, we are to experience more of this,” he warned.
The director of the National Fisheries Resources Institute (NaFIRRI), Mr Anthony Taabu Munyaho, said the water levels on Lake Victoria have risen due to too much rain water in the catchment areas.

“Lake Victoria is like a trough and whatever happens in the catchment area affects everything coming to the lake; so when it rains, all the water from the catchment pours there,” he said.
He said as of now, there is not much that can be done apart from continuously opening the lake through River Nile to reduce the water levels.
Mr Richard Musota, the manager of Upper Nile Water Management Zone, also attributed the rapid rising water levels on the current downpour in the country and the neighbouring countries, and the human activity in protected ecosystems.

“Since last year, we have not had a pronounced dry spell. The country was kept green, which means the water bodies kept to a substantial level,” Mr Musota explained.
“The soil was also kept with quite a lot of moisture. Now at the turn of this wet season for the first rains of this year, the upstream of Lake Victoria has received quite a lot of rainfall; Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya and also here in the Elgon and the Rwenzori, we are receiving quite a lot of rain,” Musota added.

A man carries a crate from a kiosk at Mulungu Beach in Munyonyo which was cut off by the rising water levels of Lake Victoria

Impact on fishing
According to Mr Sam Bakaki, the Kamuli District environment officer, Lake Kyoga is going to feel the impact of Lake Victoria overflow since water is being released to ease the Lake Victoria tension.
“Since Lake Victoria feeds into Lake Kyoga and because of the climate change effect, all people around the protected zones have been advised to evacuate. Already, most gardens have been destroyed, the ferry cannot dock at Mbulamuti and the fish is migrating,” Mr Bakaki said.

He added that the fishing communities are the most affected as fish cannot stay in deeper waters, except Nile Perch, while the tilapia migrates to the shoreline and the fishermen cannot track it.
Mr Bakaki also said the fishing grounds and beaches in Namasagali, Bukungu, Lyingo and the Teso side of Lake Kyoga have been submerged, and the only solution is evacuation.

The Nema director, Dr Tom Okurut, explained that because of the increased rainfall and inflow of rivers, the outlets which would have been evaporated, are now low, making the water levels in the lakes to rise.
“The water level in a lake is determined and controlled by rainfall and evaporation, and the inflow from rivers. Now that the inflow is four times higher than normal, this forces a triple release of water through the dam; so expect Lake Kyoga to burst its banks,” Mr Okurut warned.
He added that because of overflow in River Nile, it cannot allow small rivers such as Mpologoma and Agu to pour into it, thereby forcing water to backflow due to the rising water levels.

Government has often raised a red flag about the rapid rising water levels in the lakes and rivers, urging people who have encroached on these water bodies to vacate immediately to avert calamity.
The Uganda National Meteorology Authority, in its “seasonal rainfall outlook for March to May 2020,” warned that there would be an overall increased likelihood of near normal to above normal (wetter than average) rainfall in several parts of the country.
“Sometimes we disseminate weather and risk disaster factors as forecasts but people do not take these serious,” Mr Jeconious Musingwire, the western region Nema coordinator, said.

Way forward
The western region National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) coordinator, Mr Jeconious Musingwire, said wetlands function as natural sieves and water retention centres but that this function has been eroded overtime. So the immediate wetland restoration is key to stem off the rising water levels countrywide.
“There are areas that shouldn’t be tampered with, for instance hill tops. These should be preserved to promote natural conservation and tree planting, then the gentle slopes should be used to promote water conservation structures in agricultural fields,” he said.

“In the lowlands, we can restore wetlands by evicting encroachers and allowing restoration activities in wetlands, rivers and lakeshores,” he added.
As part of a series of comprehensive measures to avoid further flooding, the Ministry of Water and Environment has embarked on demarcation of protected ecosystems across the country.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Alfred Okot Okidi, said: “We take this increased water levels to some extent as a blessing in disguise because it is actually going to show us where the home of water is, and we are going to have physical marks in those places.”

“And whoever is in the protected zone, the message is very clear, please leave because you are in the home of water,” he added.
The Kabale District natural resources officer, Mr Rogers Akatwijuka, said: “We need to embark on our historical terraces and digging trenches on the steep sloping hills to check on the speed of running water. We need to protect the short grass on the hilltops and advise our people never to carry out any activity along the waterways such as valleys. Protecting wetlands is vital in preventing rivers or lakes bursting their banks because protected wetlands have vegetation that keeps regulating the water that goes to such water bodies.”

He added that the existing laws on wetland encroachment and agricultural practices near the water bodies (30 metres away) should be enforced by all stakeholders for the good of the country.
The Masaka District environmental officer, Ms Rose Nakyejwe, said they are going to take new measurements of the protected water sources and put up markers to deter people from encroaching them.

Refugee food cut exposes mothers, children to hunger in Uganda

Refugees. A lactating refugee mother with her family at Rwamwanja settlement in Kamwenge District in 2014. PHOTO BY FELIX BASIIME 

FRIDAY APRIL 17 2020

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Refugee-food-cut-exposes-mothers-children-to-hunger/688334-5526338-nv58s0z/index.html

In Summary

• Due to the ration cuts amid the Covid-19 pandemic, most refugees who earlier opted to stay outside the settlements, are now walking back.
• Uganda recently suspended receiving new refugees to slow the spread of coronavirus.

By Felix Basiime, Felix Warom, Scovin Iceta & Alfred Tumushabe

The recent food ration cut to refugees by World Food Programme (WFP), coupled with the current restriction of movement in the country to curb the spread of Covid-19, has left refugee mothers and children in desperate need of food.
Refugees in Uganda heavily rely on food aid from the government and donor communities.

In an interview with the Daily Monitor, the refugees say the available food cannot sustain them for a month.
WFP this week announced a 30 per cent relief reduction to more 1.2 million refugees living in Uganda due to funding shortfall.

The WFP’s country director, Mr El-Khidir Daloum, told Daily Monitor on Wednesday that the agency is struggling with a shortfall of $137m in funding, which raisesfear on how the beneficiaries in and out of the 28 refugee settlements willcope.
“WFP is faced with a significant funding shortfall for its refugee’s response --- a shortfall of $137 million against total needs of $219 million in order to remain at a full ration through 2020. We are inconstant dialogue with donors on how best to support refugees given that humanitarian assistance plays a critical role in the success of Uganda’s refugee policy,” Mr Daloum said.

Asked where the ration cut leaves the refugees in Uganda, Mr Daloum said: “Tight, countrywide restrictions on movement imposed by the government to stem the spread of the Covid-19, will possibly reduce farming, working or business by refugees trying to fill the gap caused by the cuts. Refugees, therefore, may be at greater risk of malnutrition.

The Commissioner for Refugees in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Mr Gerald Menya, said: “Definitely the impact is great, especially to the lactating mothers. The second category includes children, the elderly and the physically handicapped...”
“We are so hungry, I have a family of six people, I have been getting 12kgs of posho, 12kgs of beans, about five litres of cooking oil, two bars of soap and 1 kg of salt, but now we have been told that I will be getting 8 kgs of posho and 8 kgs of beans. I don’t know what to do with my young children,” lamented a refugee mother from Mbarara.

She added that support money from WFP has been cut from Shs39,000 to Shs22,000.
The principal settlement officer in the OPM, Mr Charles Bafaki, however, said some refugees have been engaging in agriculture and will not be severely affected.
“The refugees in the western and south western Uganda where there is fertile land depend on agriculture as supplement to the food rations they get monthly from WFP, they also get cash,” Mr Bafaki said.

A refugee at Rwamwanja settlement, who preferred anonymity, said they have resorted to digging since it is planting season.
“Our biggest challenge is lack of seeds, although the area is very fertile and vast,” he said.
In Isingiro District, where hundreds of refugees are hosted at Nakivale and Orukinga, the Resident District Commissioner, Mr Herbert Muhangi, said refugees were prepared.

Migration
Due to the ration cuts amid the Covid-19 pandemic, most refugees who earlier opted to stay outside the settlements, are now walking back.
“Today (Wednesday), we intercepted a group of refugees who have been living in urban areas going to Nakivale settlement; this depicts the situation in urban areas. We have kept them in schools and alerted OPM officials to pick them up,” Mr Muhangi said.
In Obongi District, Mr David Wangwe, the settlement commandant in the OPM at Palorinya Refugee Settlement, said South Sudanese refugees have been forced to go back to their country to look for food.

“In Palorinya, around 165,000 refugees depend on monthly food rations from the WFP and support from the Ugandan government and international aid groups. An increase in basic resources could be a big first step,” he said.
In Arua District, Mr Peter Aringu, the chairperson of South Sudanese Refugees Association, said they anticipate severe hunger in the coming months since some refugees have nowhere to cultivate.
The refugees are living in the settlements of Omugo, Rhino Camp, Imvepi, Ocea in Arua, Bidibidi in Yumbe, Palorinya in Obongi and Nyumanzi in Adjumani District.
Uganda is the largest refugee hosting country in Africa with more than 1.2 million refugees mainly from South Sudan and DR Congo, with West Nile hosting more than 350,000 of them.

Others live in Kyangwali in Kikuube District, Kyaka II in Kyegegwa District, Rwamwanja in Kamwenge District and Nakivale and Orukinga in Isingiro District.
“Eighty per cent of new arrivals are women, children and other young people with few or no assets. The government provides them with land to aid resettlement, but refugees remain vulnerable for years due to many factors including poor access to land for sustainable production, over-reliance on subsistence farming and few or unsustainable alternative sources of income,” he said.

Refugee programme
World Food Programme (WFP) general monthly food basket includes cereals, beans, fortified vegetable oil and salt. However, in refugee settlements, where there are functional food markets, like all the ones in the southwest, WFP provides an option for refugees to receive cash equivalent to the value of the in-kind food basket, monthly.
WFP provides full rations of special fortified foods to children, pregnant women and nursing mothers diagnosed with acute malnutrition.

Uganda recently suspended receiving new refugees to slow the spread of coronavirus. However, according to Mr Gerald Menya, commissioner for refugees in Uganda, Uganda’s history of refugee hospitality stretches back to 1940, during World War II, when 80,000 Polish refugees came and settled in districts of Masaka and Masindi.
In Uganda, refugees are held in settlements, as opposed to encampments where refugees are more restricted. In the settlements, the refugees are able to mingle with their host community which he said has given them a human dignity.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com

How human activities are killing Lake Albert

The submerged ferry waiting shed at Wanseko Landing Site in Buliisa District on February 12, 2020. PHOTO BY ANDREW MUGATI 

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14 2020
https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/How-human-activities-killing-Lake-Albert/688334-5455888-q8gwpt/index.html

In Summary

• The Ntoroko District environment officer, Mr Herbert Kamuhanda, says the problem started upstream on River Semuliki in Bundibugyo where Kirumya, Humya, Tokwe, Nyaruru, Rugo, Ngite, Nyahuka, Sundira, Ndugutu and Lamia rivers burst their banks due to running water from the bare mountain slopes.

By ANDREW MUGATI & FELIX BASIIME

Uncontrolled human activities around River Semuliki in Bundibugyo and Ntoroko districts have led to rising water levels on Lake Albert, thereby paralysing business in downstream Buliisa District, Daily Monitor has established.
River Semuliki emanates from Lake Edward with its main catchment in the Rwenzori Mountains on the side of Bundibugyo.
River Semuliki snakes through Bundibugyo and Ntoroko districts where uncontrolled human activities such as deforestation and soil erosion have caused sedimentation in the river that empties into Lake Albert.

As a result, Buliisa District has since January been experiencing rising water levels on River Nile and Lake Albert, which have disrupted fishing and other activities on landing sites in the area.
The most affected are landing sites in Kigwera, Buliisa and Butiaba sub-counties, and Buliisa Town Council. To access some of the landing sites, people now use canoes. The fish slab, ferry waiting shed and some houses at Wanseko and Butyaba landing sites in Buliisa have been submerged.

Mr Bagadira William, a captain of a boat that plies Wanseko-Panyimur transport route, says due to rising water levels, water weed is floating on both Upper Nile and Lake Albert thereby blocking the landing sites on the Nile.
“Rising water levels have set water hyacinth loose. Our path to Panyimur has been blocked, forcing us to shift from our previous landing sites on River Nile to Lake Albert where there is a lot of wind that hits our boats. We are nearing March and we expect more winds and our boats are not secure here,” Mr Bagadira says.
Mr Didasco Mwesigwa, a fisherman, says: “Rising water levels have scared fish away from the water near the shore. Fish has moved to deeper waters of the lake”.

Uncontrolled activities
Buliisa District Environment Officer Rogers Tumusiime attributes the rising water levels to human activities in swamps and on the lake shores.
“We are experiencing flooding or rising water levels due to human activities such as sand mining, degrading swamps and cutting/clearing papyrus, which used to retain the excess water,” he says.
Mr Tumusiime urges the people not to interfere with the ecological system and the buffer zones on rivers. “We should respect the buffer zones of 30-100 meters on the rivers and stop cultivating close to the rivers. What is happening on the lake now may happen in upper Buliisa,” he says. Mr Tumusiime adds that they will soon evict all wetland encroachers.

“There is a presidential directive that everyone cultivating in the buffer zones and swamps should not plant for the next season. Continuous cultivation along these areas may push us to enforce the directive,” he warns.
Mr Jeconious Musingwire, the south western regional officer for the National Environment Management Authority (Nema), attributes the rising water levels on Lake Albert to recent floods in the area.
“There were flash floods in Bundibugyo in December and the subsequent rains in January. All these have been flowing through a lose catchment of River Semuliki that empties into Lake Albert,” he says.

Mr Musingwire adds: “This big water volume comes with sediments to the landing sites in Buliisa. Sediments raise the lake bed due to poor management of the river catchment. That is why in most times, water in River Semuliki turns brown in colour.”
The Ntoroko District environment officer, Mr Herbert Kamuhanda, says the problem started upstream on River Semuliki in Bundibugyo where Kirumya, Humya, Tokwe, Nyaruru, Rugo, Ngite, Nyahuka, Sundira, Ndugutu and Lamia rivers burst their banks due to running water from the bare mountain slopes.
“Poor human activities on the slopes of Bundibugyo District and population pressure are responsible for the floods,” Mr Kamuhanda says.

How Nyombi Thembo employs culture, tourism to make money

Great scenery. Executive Director of Kikorongo Safari Lodge in Kasese District, Nyombi Thembo (2nd R) poses at the entrance with his guests. PHOTOS BY FELIX BASIIME 

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 16 2020
https://www.monitor.co.ug/Business/Prosper/How-Nyombi-Thembo-employs-culture--tourism-to-make-money/688616-5458206-wkkeen/index.html

In Summary

• Super approach. Quality work and dedicated staff underpins Kikorongo Safari Lodge success. This has seen the lodge get many clients through referrals, writes Felix Basiime

By Felix Basiime

The Bakonjo culture is very unique in its way, especially when it comes to names of the people, places and rivers.

Kikorongo Safari Lodge at the edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kasese District, about 20 kilometres or 15 minutes’ drive on Kasese-Ishaka road has capitalised on this uniqueness and location to connect culture of the area to tourism.

Some of its raised conical shaped cottages have been given local names of people such as Baluku, Thembo, and Masika while others have been named after the rivers that flow from Mount Rwenzori such as Nyamwamba, Nyamugasana among others.

Business journey
“Our Kikonjo culture is very unique; all Bakonjo names are named by precedence, so we at Kikorongo Safari Lodge, we want people to appreciate the Kikonjo culture,” says Nyombi Thembo, the executive director of Kikorongo Safari Lodge which is on the hill slopes overlooking Lakes Kikorongo and George and Kikorongo trading centre.

The way the Bakonjo name their children is exclusively unique to their culture and is almost automatic and only to them alone in Uganda. Though they have clans, the criterion used is not evidenced in their names like most other tribes according to Mr Thembo.

That is why there are few names among the Bakonjo and males share common names such as Baluku, Mumbere (Kambere), Bwambale, Masereka, Kule, Thembo, Muhindo or Mbusa while females are named as Masika/Musoki, Biira, Kabugho, Mbambu, Ithungu, Kyakimo, Nziabake or Muhindo depending on the position in that particular family.

Thembo says “The male first-born is automatically called Baluku or Mumbere, the second born male Bwambale.”
“For example, Muhindo follows a girl and vice versa, Nziabake is only for ladies who are last borns. We want people to immense into our culture,” Thembo says.

The cottages
Kikorongo Safari Lodge has so far 15 cottages out of the 20 projected by 2021 that sit on about two of the 28 acres piece of land.

They have been well raised from the ground to avoid reptiles and named as Thembo, Kambere, Masereka, Ithungu, Muremberi, Nziabake while others have been named after 10 most prominent rivers in Kasese that include Nyamwamba, Thako, Lhubiriha, Lume (Rwimi) and Nyamugasana. There are many rivers in Kasese that flow from mountain Rwenzori and empty into Lake George and the major ones are Nyamwamba and Mubuku which also are a major potential source of electricity production and water for irrigation.

“We have 10 camping platforms of which four are executive and among the cottages, four are super luxury, one is diamond luxury, two international luxury, two diamond luxury and three intimate,” says Thembo.

Fees
The rates per cottage range from $270 (Shs972,000) to $350 (Shs1.2m) per night while the camp site ranges from $30 (Shs108,000) to $100 (Shs360,000).

“Our rates are in three phases, we have market entry rates which are highly concessional rates, market penetration rates and real rates, and so we are now in a transition for one year,” Thembo who is also settling as guide at the hotel says. “I love nature, I love tourism, that is why I put up this facility, I will finally retire here as a guide because I enjoy what am doing,” Thembo adds.

The Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu minister for culture, Elly Nyakango described the facility as the best venture in the kingdom and hailed the proprietor for promoting culture and tourism of the region.

“This is a very good arrangement for naming the cottages after local Kikonjo names of people and rivers, it promotes our culture very much, because the use of Kikonjo names gives us pride,” Nyakango says, and advised, “I advise my friend Thembo to make the cottages named after Mumbere and Ithungu very unique as suits because these are the names of our King (Charles Wesley Mumbere) and the Queen (Agnes Ithungu)”

The experience
“When you are at Kikorongo Safari Lodge you are at an advantage of the Mount Rwenzori experience as we are at the foots of the Rwenzori, the Great Rift Valley experience, the equator experience and the centrality of our location to the biggest conservation area in Uganda (The Queen Elizabeth National Park),” Thembo says.

“From here you can reach seven tourist attraction sites such which surrounds us, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Semuliki National Park, Tooro Semliki (game reserve), Kibale National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Rwenzori Mountain, Virunga in DR Congo, this is a continuous conglomeration of conservation area,” Thembo says.

When you are at Kikorongo Safari Lodge, you get a clear view of Kazinga Channel and Lakes George and Kikorongo, the Western rift valley and special attributes include the “bush shower,” fire camp area and the game drive.

Ecotourism
Kikorongo Safari Lodge is situated in a very quiet natural environment set up and is surrounded by trees and bushes.

An elephant monument greets visitors at the entrance with a sign post. After booking, you are given a long stick to use as you ascend and hike to one of the cottages that are connected by paths littered by beautiful brown stones in the middle and grey stones from River Nyamwamba on the sides.
The management has particularly preserved the environment in its natural set up and planted more trees including yellow bamboo.

“We have emphasised sustainability and conservation in all our designs, we have preserved the site in its natural set up, the built up area is about two acres and the rest 26 acres has been left untouched, forest and bushes,” Thembo says. He adds, “So far we have used 5,300 eucalyptus trees grown at my land in Mubende for these cottages and other structures. The trees were cut from 14 acres and we have planted more trees on 40 acres.”

Because of the natural set up that has been preserved at this hotel, the nights are enjoyable with cool breezes from the trees and lakes around, the nights too are quiet but with some interludes of tweets from humming mocking birds, cats and hippo sounds from a distance are heard. There is security 24/7 and the young staff clad in army green T shirts and cups are very hospitable and take you around the cottages and at the bar at the fire place.

Tourism resource
According to Kasese District official website, tourism is a significant economic activity within the district given its natural resource endowment including mountains and national parks.

It has given employment to a number of people who act as tourist guides as well as working in hotels such as Mweya Safari Lodge and Margherita Hotel among others.
Tourism plays a big role in national development and in this regard, UWA has been contributing to the district development in form of revenue sharing (20 per cent).

Advice
Taking into account the series of tough challenges he faced at the beginning of his fascinating business journey, Nyombi Thembo now believes nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself and remain firmly focused on the ultimate prize.
Nyombi Thembo a former minister for information technology says his passion fuelled his resilience and stubborn belief that what he was doing was right and held great promise.

“I never at any single moment doubted myself or questioned the viability of what I was on to. This unshakable belief was one of the driving forces that saw me weather many a storm and surmount numerous hurdles strewn my way. The more challenges I overcame the more my confidence level rose,” says Nyombi Thembo who is also the former Member of Parliament for Kassanda South. He is currently the director of the Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF). RCDF is a service fund managed by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).

Management
Another factor that has underpinned Nyombi Thembo’s success is the quality of services tourists receive. This has seen him get many clients through referrals. “We never compromise on quality and this has been at the heart of our growth,” he says adding that there is no shortcut to success but the long, winding and slippery path. His advice to potential entrepreneurs who have viable ideas is just to act on them.

“If you wait for an ideal moment, when all elements will neatly and perfectly fall in place before you start it will never come and your idea will be stillborn. Start with the little resources that you have and gradually scale the greasy pole of business,” he says. Another ingredient to his success is his employees. He says he does not treat them as his workers but colleagues.
Conversely, he also tells them to treat him as one of them and not their boss.

“Whenever we go to the field for an assignment there is neither a boss nor an employee. We work as colleagues,” says the unassuming and affable businessman whose slight frame belies the fact that he is battle-hardened having surmounted huge challenges to build a multimillion company.

Many a times, his clients have asked where the boss is yet he is right there standing among his colleagues (read employees). Another powerful arrow in his quiver is incredible hard work. Nyombi Thembo says when there is urgent work, he goes to work on Saturday and Sunday.