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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has asked the government to expedite plans of desilting River Nyamwamba in Kasese district.
On Thursday, while presenting a matter of national importance to Parliament, the Kasese Municipality Member of Parliament Robert Centenary warned of an impending fresh burst of the river if it is not de-silted before the second rainy season starts.
Centenary said that although the Ministry of Works and Transport sent excavators to Kasese after the river burst in May, the equipment has never been used due to lack of fuel.
Centenary called on government to provide fuel to enable excavators to de-silt the river.
Since 2013, the river has shifted from its original course during floods, destroying infrastructure along the river valley.
In 2014, the then State Minister for Works Eng. John Byabagambi said that plans to de-silt River Nyamwamba had been finalized. This followed an outcry from the residents over the floods that left at least two schools closed and several roads impassable.
Kadaga asked the Minister of Works to update Parliament next week on the matter.
In May, floods hit Kasese district after the three major rivers; Nyamwamba, Mubuku in Ibanda-Kyanya town council and River Nyamughasana in Kyalhumba sub-county burst their banks following a heavy downpour.
The floods led to the closure of Kilembe Mines Hospital and cut off several roads, leaving many vehicles and people stranded.
Several houses in areas along the banks of River Nyamwamba were submerged leaving their occupants stranded.
River Nyamwamba which is fed by melting glaciers from the Rwenzori Mountains is the main source of water for both agriculture and domestic use including the Mubuku Irrigation Scheme.
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