The Government Inter-Ministerial Committee on a National Response to the Kasese floods has endorsed emergency interventions that the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) presented as remedies to the devastated roads and bridges in Kasese following floods and landslides.
Led by the Rukia Nakadama, Third Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda and Minister Without Portfolio, the Inter-Ministerial committee includes:Musa Ecweru – State Minister for Works, Ministry of Works and Transport , Peter Lokeris, State Minister for Minerals, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Victoria Rusoke Busingye – Minister of State for Local Government, Godfrey Baluku Kiime Kabbyanga – Minister of State for Information, Communication Technology and National Guidance , Sarah Mateke – Minister of State for Gender, Labour and Social Development and Dr Joyce Kaducu Moriku – Minister of State for Education and Sports.
Last month, three major rivers in the Kasese region, namely, Nyamwamba, Nyamugasani, and Mobuku flooded following heavy rains that significantly affected government services that include a number of roads and bridges across the national road network in the area.
Consequently, on 20 July 2021, the Prime Minister directed the Ministerial Committee and UNRA to visit the region and present appropriate interventions to alleviate the impact of this flooding.
All Kasese Members of Parliament joined the joined the Ministerial committee and UNRA in the tour of the devastated areas, these included; Kitanywa Sowedi – Busongora North, Kambale Feriyo Kasese Municipality, Tembo Gideon – Busongora South, Herod Muhindo – Bukonzo East, Katushabe Atikens – Bukonzo West and Kabugho Florence – Woman MP Kasese.
At the end of UNRA’s three-day inspection of Kasese, in her presentation, Executive Director, Allen Kagina shared interventions that were categorized into three; immediate, medium term and long term. These included:
- Immediate interventions
- Nyamwamba Bridge (at Hima – Kakungulu road) – rehabilitation of the gabion wall to protect the road embankment
- Kilembe Bridge – repair of the damaged retaining water wall (utilising rubble concrete) to provide further protection of the bridge
- Kasese – Kilembe road – repair of the washed away section including the addition rubble concrete for flood erosion protection.
- Kitakena Box Culvert– dredging of the river re-divert and re-channel the river back to its original route
- Medium term interventions
- Nyamugasani One – this bridge to be provided with additional protection. These works will be carried out within the upcoming rehabilitation of Kikorongo – Bwera road (Equator road).
- Nyamugasani Lower, Kyanya and Isango Bridges – Replacement of these devastated bridges is underway, procurement of the strucurue is in its final stages
- Long term interventions
- Reconstruction of the Kilembe – Kyanjuki bridge, this will include the replacement of the Kyanjuki Bridge
- Nyamwamba Bridge (at Hima – Kakungulu road) – to be replaced with a new bridge, high-raised (8.0metres) that would allow the river to meander below.
To ensure sustainability of the infrastructure, all the long-term interventions will require the re-channelization of the river channel(s) and the restoration of the land-use cover across the mountain slopes including the reduction of human settlements and activities across the mountains and river valleys.
Letters to My Younger Self: Robinah Siima — “Success Is Quieter, But Richer”After her presentation, Allen Kagina, said, “It’s pertinent to note that the Fort Portal – Hima – Katungulu – Ishaka road network has been maintained in good condition to enable emergency response services quickly reach Kasese region whenever there is a disaster occurrence.”
‘We are confident that the challenges faced downstream can be overcome through innovation and disruptive thinking in how we repair the devastated road and bridges in the Kasese region. All this will be to naught if the causes of floods, that are upstream, are ignored,’ she said.
The UNRA national emergency technical response team during the tour also noted that owing to the increased agricultural cultivation along the Nyamwamba, Mubuku and Nyamugasani rivers, the water catchment areas have been severely eroded. This means that the natural protection against the rivers has been removed, leaving the residents and infrastructure at risk each time there are heavy rains.
During the tour, Kagina also empathized to the Kasese residents. “These floods rip through the valleys, creating a path of destruction and burying people’s homes, land and livelihoods. A multi-institutional effort is urgently needed to address the exponential increase in farming activity along the rivers in Kasese,”she said.
The UNRA team that includes hydrologists and road construction & maintenance experts has embarked on efforts to quickly restore service in areas that have been severely destroyed by the floods. The interventions include:
- The dredging of the rivers
- Minor repairs of the abutments & approaches to the bridges
- River training & gabion protection to banks
- Re-designing of new bridges
- Construction of new bridges
UNRA has physical presence in the Kasese region with a station set up and operational with technical staff to ensure immediate response to emergencies. This station has ensured the resumption of critical road and bridges services whenever there are floods or landslides.
