Heavy rains ruin salt pans in Katwe

Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Salt miners in Kasese district are crying foul after water logging conditions in the wake of heavy rains destroyed their salt pans.

The unexpected rains that have been battering the area since last week filled the salt pans, thus displacing the workers.

There are more than 500 persons owning salt pans in Lake Katwe.

According to Irene Biira who owns a couple of salt pans at the lake, production of salt remains disrupted owing to ceaseless rainfall since mid-February.

She added that her stocked salt had dissolved in water while the pans had also turned muddy as the boundaries were damaged badly.

Biira says that as many as 20 of her bags had dissolved in water in the last one week alone.

Nalongo Kagaba Halima, also owning a pan and resident of Katwe, said the heavy rains destroyed her salt pan and another spell of rain washed away her month-long labour.

She added that they are worried that the upcoming rainy season might devastate the business further.

Halima says the cost of production will certainly go up as the damaged salt pans have to be reconstructed.

According to the Mayor Katwe-Kabatooro town council John Bosco Kananura, over 70% of the local population in Katwe depends on the salt lake and these are currently struggling to get basic household necessities.

He says the floods and the current forecast might bring further spells damage to the pans.

Kananura is now requesting the government to support the affected people with food supplies as they wait for the rains to reduce.

The  town clerk Catherine Mbahimba says the revenue collections have dwindled in the last one month as many miners abandoned the business due to early rains.

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