Uganda:Hundreds homeless as floods wreak havoc in Amuru

At least 300 people have been displaced in Elegu Town Council in Amuru District after River Unyama burst its banks on Monday and flooded the area.

Mr Justine Kayukuye, a resident and trader at the border town told Daily Monitor in an interview that merchandise worth millions had been destroyed by the flood that submerged part of Elegu Central Market.

“The floods were triggered by a two-day downpour at the weekend. Business in the market has been suspended,” Mr Kayukuye said.

Mr Stephen Odong Latek, the Amuru resident district commissioner, said there are fears of a possible outbreak of waterborne infections in the area since the floods submerged pit-latrines.

“The biggest problem is that when the floods hit the area, it picked content from the latrines and is deposited everywhere, sludge is everywhere, that brings possibilities of waterborne diseases,” Mr Latek said.

He said many people have been displaced to the nearby Bibia Town while others fled to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Customs Clearing facility at the border.

“We had early warning signs and we communicated the signs to different stakeholders who were involved because of the annual phenomenon of the occurrence, we had joined hands with the national and district disaster teams supported by the Uganda Red Cross,” Mr Latek said.

Meanwhile, in the neighbouring Adjumani District, floods have displaced residents and destroyed gardens.

Mr Francis Angu, a resident of Sinyanya Village, said 25 goats and eight heads of cattle were killed in the floods and that hundreds of houses (grass-thatched) were destroyed.

“In Pakele-Amuru village, Lewa Central and Ailo, the water levels are steadily rising and more houses are collapsing, crops have been washed away by the flash floods in Adidi Parish and areas around Adidi and Iraji streams,” Mr Richard Okot, a resident of Lewa Central Village in Pakele Sub-county, said.

Mr Peter Taban Data, the Adjumani resident district commissioner, said Pachara, Okusijoni, Arinyapi and Pakele sub-counties are the most hit, with at least 500 people who had been displaced by November 7.

“Our biggest worry is the school children who are sitting Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) who have been accessing the various schools through these rivers because all the connecting bridges in these areas are submerged,” he said.

According to Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb), a total of 749,371 candidates registered for PLE. The exams, which started yesterday, will end today at 14,778 centres across the country.