The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government has allocated 20 billion shillings to areas that have been affected by disasters caused by heavy rains.
The rains witnessed in many parts of the country have caused deaths and massive destruction of property including crops and infrastructure like roads and bridges.
Musa Ecweru, the State Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees told journalists at Media Center on Friday that nine billion will be used to buy relief items, 10 billion to fix affected roads and other transportation needs like buying boats where they are needed and about 200 million to fix meteorology machines affected by the rains.
According to Ecweru, the number of displaced people from Bududa, Sironko, manafwa, Namisidwa and Mbale is about 25,000, affected households are 85,000 and damaged acreage of crop and plantations is 21,500 hectares.
The number displaced in the two sub-regions of Teso and Bukedi stands at 55,000 people with over 120,000 hectares of crop destroyed.
Districts along the banks of river Nile in West Nile sub-region have equally suffered losses of crop and homes flooding.
Ecweru says that while the number seems bigger in Teso and Bukedi sub-regions, the impact has been bigger in Bugisu where about eight deaths have been reported.
Ecweru says that a comprehensive assessment to determine amount of damage is still on-going.
However, Ecweru says the impact could have been bigger but for three months, government passed warning messages and asked people to leave risky areas.
Ecweru also reiterated government commitment to resettle people in risky areas in the Elgon through the Bulamburi Resettlement project.
The Project is being implemented in three phases and will take a total of 7,200 people in 900 houses at its completion in June next year.
The UPDF Engineering Brigade working with the Construction Unit of Uganda Police Force and the Mechanical Unit of Uganda Prisons Services were tasked to construct 241 housing units.
Ecweru says more 140 house units have been completed.
Ecweru also warned that the rains are likely to be heavy until the end of December according to Metrological Institute.
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