By Naboth Isaac Niwagaba
apearlnews.com
The Ndorwa East County Member of Parliament Wilfred Niwagaba has cautioned locals in his constituency against dangerous agricultural practices that expose them to effects of heavy rainfall.
Niwagaba was speaking with residents of Rwamishekye village in Kitanga Parish in Buhara Subcounty, Kabale District after he was invited for help following a heavy downpour that caused mud slides that , left buildings and gardens destroyed.
Acording to the area LC.1 chairperson John Ngabirano, the down pour lasted for about two and ahalf hours starting from around 8:30 pm on Thursday evening, and they thought it was normal rain until they started hearing stone boulders rolling from the hills.
Ngabirano said no life was lost, but acres of crop gardens were destroyed and the village was at the verge of witnessing the worst hunger in the near future, if government does not intervene.
Hon. Niwagaba visited the place with Kabale District works comittee whose secretary is the LC.5 Councilor for Buhara Subcounty Bridget Asinga, and the District Engineer John Bagamuhunda to asses the situation.
Niwagaba said he would file a report and present it to the office of the prime minister asking for food relief and provision of maize and bean seeds for the affected families, but he asked locals to avoid cultivating all the hilly pieces of land without putting in place measures of preventing such calamities, like planting of trees at the slopes.
Ms. Bridget Asinga who is also the former Kabale District Chairperson asked Hon. Niwagaba emphasizes the need for availing seeds to the affected families as an emergency solution from the office of the Prime Minister.
Chairman Ngabirano told our reporter that by today morning, Over 300 people had been summoned to help open up roads that were blocked by stone boulders and the mud that piled up in houses including a church building and a Nursery school, at Kagorogoro trading centre. He also said that the District Engineer had pledged to send them a tractor to help them ease the road re-openning
Greater Kabale District is known for suffering landslides during rainy seasons, and usually the most affected are people living in hilly areas of Buhara Subcounty, and Kitumba in Kabale District, Nyamweru and Muko sub-county in Rubanda District plus Rwamucucu in Rukiga District.
