Africa-Press – Uganda. A strange wild plant has invaded Budaka District , leaving residents and leaders in panic.
Leaders have asked government to send experts to intervene before the plant spreads to neighbouring districts.
Mr Moses Talyampindi, a resident of Kakoli Village in Kakoli Sub-county, last week said when the yellow plant grows on any tree, the leaves of the host plant dry up in less than two weeks.
“Many of the trees that have been covered with this wild plant have dried up after a week or so. This plant doesn’t have roots nor leaves,” he said.
Mr Talyampindi said the district leaders should work with the government to request for the experts to find out more about the plant.
“The district leaders and experts should save the situation before it gets worse. We fear that trees will dry up,” he added.
Another resident, Mr Jackson Mwigo, said all the trees in his courtyard had dried up.
Mr Dickson Kebba, the Kakoli Village chairperson, said people could have spread the plant to the area.
“I believe somebody carried it and dropped it here before it started spreading fast,” he said.
The district natural resource officer, Mr Kijali Cyprian Kamwada, confirmed the development, saying they have embarked on community sensitisation on the dangers of the strange plant.
“The spread of these plants if not checked early could cause desertification in the district. We are encouraging farmers to destroy the entire affected trees to stop the spread to other areas,” Mr Kamwada said.
He said in the early stages, the wild plant, popularly known as Cascuta [golden weed], can be tamed or controlled by physically removing it from the host plant.
“We have observed that sometimes the rapid spread of the wild plant is spread by school-going children, who pick and throw it on other trees,” he said.
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