Uganda: the fight of the inhabitants of Kasese against the floods (3/3)
Audio 02:16
The inhabitants try to dig the bed of the river, to allow the water to circulate without being blocked by the excess silt and sand.
© RFI / Lucie Mouillaud
By: Lucie Mouillaud Follow
5 mins
Faced with the numerous floods in the district of Kasese, near the border with the DRC, local communities are mobilizing to try by all means to protect themselves from the bad weather which has caused the displacement of several hundred people.
Some local initiatives have emerged in recent years to prevent floods from attacking the villages again.
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From our special correspondent in Kasese,
As the rainy season approaches, Wilson and his neighbors try to protect themselves from the floods as best they can: on the road to prevent water from attacking their homes, residents build a dam made from dried earth. “
We are trying to collect bags filled with soil to block the water. If there is not a lot of water, it works. We also try to dig trenches to divert the water. But most of the time the flooding is too bad and it's not enough,
”says Wilson.
A little further on, with their feet in the water and armed with shovels, dozens of people dig the bed of the river.
On the banks, the many piles of silt and sand removed from the water since the start of the day.
Christopher has been working here for a few years now.
“
We are working in the river, to remove enough silt so that the water is free to flow to the lake.
Because one of the problems with this river is that the silt is too much for the water level.
But we would need machines to remove all that silt and the river would finally be free to flow in its bed,
”says Christopher.
► To read also: In Kasese, the floods leave no respite to the inhabitants
Organized programs ... but without success
Local authorities say a large-scale project to remove the sand blocking the passage of water will be put in place soon. A necessity according to Patrick Mweisge, responsible for monitoring the Nyamwamba river. “
When you look at the surface of the river, you can see that the silt is preventing the water from flowing. Whereas before, in the 1970s and 1980s, the river was very deep, I even came to bathe, but now the silt has filled the bed and the water is very low,
”says Patrick Mweisge.
Over the years, several programs have been organized to prevent flooding and secure the banks, but so far without success.
A few bamboo plants, scattered along the water's edge, are the last evidence of an ancient riverbank reforestation campaign.
“
These bamboos are two years old now.
They were planted over much of the riverbank by a contractor, but the floods passed through and destroyed everything before they could help.
These are the only bamboos that remain,
”he notes.
According to officials from the Kasese district, new riverbank reforestation projects are under discussion to consolidate the banks, weakened by deforestation and certain agricultural methods.
► To read also: The difficult life in the camps for climate-displaced persons in Kasese
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