By Weswa Ronnie
BUTALEJA
Raging floods that have cut off the Mbale-Butaleja road has forced police to deploy heavily at Manafwa and Leresi bridges in Butaleja.
The police have now limited the movement of people along the Butaleja-Mbale road, recommending that motorists should only access Mbale and other parts of Butaleja through Bunghaji-Budaka road.
Meanwhile, passengers and other road users including school children, are stranded at Manafwa and Leresi bridges in Butaleja town council, Butaleja District after floods cut off Mbale-Butaleja road. Local leaders and residents report that hundreds of families have been displaced by the floods.
Other reports coming through confirm that so far one person who has not yet been identified has died and many properties destroyed during the floods which hit three sub counties along River Manafwa in Butaleja district.
The heavy floods are believed to have affected Sub Counties like Himutu, Bufuja-Kachonga town council, and Butaleja town council.
Michael Higenyi, the Butaleja district chairman says that the heavy running water broke down several houses, destroyed crops and swept away some road users in the morning, plus some motorcycles.
He attributes the mess on poor farming methods which for instance saw the farmers slashing down all the vegetation cover in the affected areas and encroaching on the Manafwa river Banks.
He however, suggested that government quickens the construction of a water reservoir which can help control the water force and saying the district hasn’t a solution apparently because they don’t have any funds.
By press time, police was still heavily deployed near Manafwa River Bridge.
