By Emmanuel Okol
KATAKWI
At least 5000 people and 1000 acres of land have been displaced and submerged by flash flooding in Katakwi district in eastern Uganda.
The affected people have started looking for shelter at schools and nearby Sub County offices which are not affected by the current floods in the region.
Hazel Amodoi, one of the affected farmers in Ongongoja Sub County told this publication that he has lost one acre of cassava and two hectares of groundnuts.
Hon William Omeke, Chairman LC3 Ongongoja Sub County, Usuk County in Katakwi district confirmed the floods to our reporter at his office on 27-5-2024 during a phone call interview.
According to Omeke, the villages which have been affected and roads in his sub county include, Akimeng, Atapar, Akamurei, Apuriso, Akore, Ongunga, Angolekit and Olupe village.
While the roads affected include; sub county headquarters road, Ongunga road which connects to VP Alupo Jesica Rose Epel’s home, Omukuny-Okuda to Usuk road, Adacar-Obulengorok to Ongongoja SS road, Okocho-Oumoi and Ongongoja headquarters to Obwobwo road are all crossed by water.
In Ngariam Sub County, the chairman LC3 Moses Iteit confirmed that over 20 villages in the sub county have been submerged by floods.
He said that the locals have lost food crops in their gardens i.e., cassava, potatoes, simsim, green gram, groundnuts, sorghum and many others.
“We request the central government to come and rescue us from these flashing floods with tarpaulins, blankets and food items” Iteit said.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Omolo, the chairman LCV Katakwi district in his statement said, the district has tried its best to see that all roads cut can be handled but a lot of water is still flashing to the district.
“We have managed to deploy emergency supplies and are working with humanitarian aid agencies to provide temporary shelters, but teams on the ground said they are stretched,” Omolo said.
Omolo said they have instructed LC1’s to record all the people affected by floods and send them to the sub county so that the district can get all the records appropriately.
He adds the most affected sub counties in the district include, Ongongoja, Usuk, Guya-Guya, Palam, Ngariam, Okore, Akoboi, Magoro, Kapujan, Omodoi, Akoboi and Getom.
Hundreds of people have lost their homes, properties, crops to floods in the said sub counties.
Omolo said they hold meetings with other regions of Karamoja, Acholi, Lango to discuss the issue of floods but members of Karamoja sub regions assured Teso region of the heavy flash of water in the region.
He urged the people of Katakwi who are sitting where there is water logging to be careful and ask parents to protect School going children from roads that water has crossed.
However, sources say the River Kidepo burst their banks after heavy rainfall swept through Karamoja region recently, and flashed its waters which submerged homes, roads, and uprooted water pipes.
