Rwenzori residents told to vacate steep slopes
By Hope Mafaranga
COMMUNITIES living on the slopes of Rwenzori Mountain have been ordered to vacate the area to avoid landslide related catastrophes.
State minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugee Musa Ecweru said the area was prone to landslides because of its terrain.
Handing over food relief to the people of Ntoroko district at Kanara landing site on Sunday, Ecweru said he did not want the people of Rwenzori region to be buried by landslides.
“These people must relocate to relatively safer places because I do not want to come here to bury them. It is better for me to come here to look after them and bring food relief when they are displaced somewhere,” Ecweru said.
Ecweru said Uganda was experiencing disasters like lightning and hailstorm as a result of environmental degradation.
“The weather has become unpredictable due to environmental degradation. Experts are telling us that lightning which has been killing people and animals of late was a result of deforestation because the trees that used to control lightning were cut,” he said.
Ntoroko district Woman MP Jeniffer Mujungu said most bridges in the area were washed away by heavy rains.
She said the floods had cut off over 4,000 people in Bweramule sub-county and Kibuku town council. Mujungu added that as a result, the relief which was taken there by the Office of the Prime Minister could not reach the affected people.
She said the most affected areas were Kanara, Nombe, Karugutu, Kamuga, Katanga, Rwangara, Kacwankumu, Rwenyena and Kibuku sub-counties.
Mujungu said River Semliki burst recently, filling all the seasonal rivers.
The MP added that people were at risk of being eaten by crocodiles which come from river.
By Hope Mafaranga
COMMUNITIES living on the slopes of Rwenzori Mountain have been ordered to vacate the area to avoid landslide related catastrophes.
State minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugee Musa Ecweru said the area was prone to landslides because of its terrain.
Handing over food relief to the people of Ntoroko district at Kanara landing site on Sunday, Ecweru said he did not want the people of Rwenzori region to be buried by landslides.
“These people must relocate to relatively safer places because I do not want to come here to bury them. It is better for me to come here to look after them and bring food relief when they are displaced somewhere,” Ecweru said.
Ecweru said Uganda was experiencing disasters like lightning and hailstorm as a result of environmental degradation.
“The weather has become unpredictable due to environmental degradation. Experts are telling us that lightning which has been killing people and animals of late was a result of deforestation because the trees that used to control lightning were cut,” he said.
Ntoroko district Woman MP Jeniffer Mujungu said most bridges in the area were washed away by heavy rains.
She said the floods had cut off over 4,000 people in Bweramule sub-county and Kibuku town council. Mujungu added that as a result, the relief which was taken there by the Office of the Prime Minister could not reach the affected people.
She said the most affected areas were Kanara, Nombe, Karugutu, Kamuga, Katanga, Rwangara, Kacwankumu, Rwenyena and Kibuku sub-counties.
Mujungu said River Semliki burst recently, filling all the seasonal rivers.
The MP added that people were at risk of being eaten by crocodiles which come from river.
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