1,500 residents trapped in Masaka as lake Victoria submerges villages

Bukakata, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Hundreds of people are stranded different landing sites in Masaka district after Lake Victoria submerged fishing villages.

The affected landing sites are Lambu and Kaziru in Bukakata Sub County, that are currently inaccessible.

All the pathways to the fishing villages are heavily flooded with high volumes of water that stretch for about four kilometres towards the mainland.  

Paul Ssendiwala, one of the fishermen at Lambu landing site says that at least 100 houses have so far collapsed and that occupants are living in temporary shelters.

Ssendiwala says that the residents are also struggling to get food because of the blocked access routes.

Norah Nakazzi Karunga and Moses Muweesi note it has become risky for people to sail through the floods for fear of being swept into the lake.

Karunga has told URN that the floods have trapped many vulnerable people that include the elderly and children. 

Muweesi adds that the situation has also affected all other fishing activities through which they could earn a living.  

Aloysius Jjuuko, the Bukakata Sub County Chairperson says that the affected communities were caught unaware by the floods. Jjuuko says that villages being submerged last occurred in the area in the 1970s when the lake reclaimed all its original boundaries.  

He, however, says that they are now mobilizing the able-bodied men to help in evacuating the vulnerable people from the landing site to save them from the likely risks that threaten their lives.  

Last month, the Uganda National Metrological Authority-UNMA in their statement projected that the country will receive beyond normal rains that will run-up to June.

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URN