Africa-Press – Uganda. About a three-kilometre crack running through several villages to River Tsume in Bubiita Sub-county in Bududa District has displaced at least 100 families in Namarango Village in the past one month.
Affected residents are now living with their relatives, while others in makeshift structures in nearby trading centres and schools.
When Daily Monitor visited the area on Saturday, about 55 homes were abandoned, some of which have since collapsed.
Residents fear that with continued heavy rain, the crack is likely to widen further, causing a landslide.
Other affected villages are Buwanyanga, Busooto Upper, Busooto Central and Bumombi.
“I relocated my family to the upper village, where we are living in a makeshift structure. It is not also a safe place either but it’s better than here,” Mr Magidu Kutosi, one of the affected locals, said.
The crack has also destroyed water sources and graveyards. Some people are contemplating to exhume the remains of their loved ones and bury them in safer places.
Environmentalists say residents are sitting on time bomb because as the crack widens, water logged soils keep moving underground as heavy rain continues to pound the area.
The State Minister for Karamoja Affairs and the district Woman MP, Ms Agnes Nandutu, who visited the area, called for a quick relocation.
“If the heavy rains continue, the hill of Bubiita will be swept away. So we need to relocate people as quickly as possible,” she said.
Ms Nandutu said those affected should be supported with land, iron sheets and cement to resettle within their respective districts.
“As MPs in Bugisu, we wrote a memorandum to the President to allow relocation of people living in landslide prone areas to safe places,” Ms Nandutu said.
In 2018, River Tsume burst its banks, killing about 42 people and sweeping away nearly 150 homes in Bukalasi Sub-county.
Local leaders say officials from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) visited the area and assessed the situation but have not taken any action despite reminders.
Mr Patrick Meru, the LC5 councillor of Bubiita, said the government should send experts to access the crack.
“This is a serious matter and if it is left unattended to, it will be worse than the 2010 Nametsi landslide that killed hundreds,” Mr Meru said.
Mr Alex Kutosi, the Bubiita LC3 chairperson, said the displaced residents have no food and shelter.
“The response from the district and central government is not forthcoming and yet the displaced are living in a miserable situation,” he said.
Mr Muhammed Walukoli, another displaced person with a family of 30 members, said he cannot cope for long. “I am staying with my brother but I know he will not cope with me and family for long. The unfortunate part is that I have nowhere to go,” Mr Walukoli said.
He appealed to government to come to their rescue.
Bubiita has experienced minor landslides in the previous year but with minimal damage.
The district chairperson, Mr Milton Kamoti, said more than 200 homes are affected by the fresh cracks.
“We have asked the government to relocate the families but nothing has been made,” he said.
The government started the relocation and resettlement of landslide victims to Bunambutye in 2019 after the OPM bought more than 2,800 acres of land in 2013.
About 300 families have so far been resettled in the camp in three phases, which include May 2019, February 2020 and February this year.
Background
In June 2019, a landslide hit Buwali Sub-county, leaving five people dead and more than 400 displaced in Bududa. In October 2018, 42 people were reportedly killed and more than 500 people displaced in Suume Village in Bukalasi Sub-county. In August 2017, landslides hit Bufupa Parish in Sironko District, killing seven people and displacing hundreds. In June 2012, another landslide occurred in Namaga and Bunakasala villages in Bumwalukani Sub-county in Bududa, leaving about 450 people dead and property destroyed.
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