Gov’t moves to resettle persons displaced by rising water levels

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Chief Administrative Officers and town clerks have been instructed to urgently identify land for the resettlement of persons displaced by rising water levels.

Water levels for major water bodies across the country have gone up in recent months from 12.00 meters in 2019 to above 13.4 meters, in the case of Lake Victoria, a mark last recorded in 1964 while Lake Kyoga is projected to exceed the highest historical water level of 13.2 meters.

As the levels go up, they are submerging shorelines, swamps and flood plains, displacing thousands of people and flooding infrastructure. Several settlements and essential facilities such as water supply and sanitation systems, health facilities, schools, places of worship and roads among others have been ruined by floodwaters.

It is on the basis of this that the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Local Government Ben Kumumanya has written to districts and Municipalities around the Lake Victoria Basin, River Nile, Kyoga Basin and the mountain sub-regions of Rwenzori and Elgon advising them to evacuate residents from wetlands, shorelines, river banks and government forests where many have already been displaced by water.

Kumumanya says that the government has developed an action plan to address the problems arising out of rising water levels, flooding of lakes and rivers in the country. However, he says, the immediate action for Local Governments is to identify government land for the temporary resettlement of the affected families.

Kumumanya says that he expects the temporary resettlement to last between six months and a year after which the land will revert to original users. “It’s hoped that by then, the government will have resettled the families permanently on its own acquired land,” Kumumanya adds. The officers have been directed to submit responses with details of the current use and approximate acres of land available for temporary settlement.

In Nakasongola district, there are at least 9,853 people across 29 landing sites who have been displaced after rising water levels of Lake Kyoga submerged their houses and destroyed their property. The displaced people have relocated to churches, mosques, schools and others to friends’ homes. Alex Felix Majeme, the area Chief Administrative Officer said the District Executive is still discussing the probable land.

Nakasongola district chairman Sam Kigula says that the District Executive Committee has identified 100 acres at Kyarubanga Forest Reserve where they want 1,560 households affected by rising water levels at Lake Kyoga are relocated too. Kigula says that a reply will be submitted to Local Government soon to speed up the process of relocating the affected persons.

Mariam Nabutaka, the Female District Councilor for Lwampanga sub-county says that the affected persons are willing to move to another area identified by the district because they have no option. Nabutaka has asked the district and the Ministry of Local government to urgently relocate the affected persons before they are faced with disease outbreaks.

Samuel Mukasa, an affected resident at Munami landing site says they are currently living in churches waiting for the district’s plan to relocate them to a safer place. Mukasa says they are landless after an earlier eviction from Kasenyi landing site by Nakasongola army barracks in 2014.

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