Parliament of Uganda
OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
AN OVERSIGHT VISIT REPORT ON THE KASESE FLOODS
MAY 2O2O
R-L Hon. Namaganda Veronica, Hon. Sewungu Gonzaga and the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Betty Aol Ocan with some leaders of the Kasese Local Government.
By Hon. Betty Aol Ocan
District Woman Representative, G ul u.
Leader of the Opposition.
! Contents
1 .0 lntroduction...... 3 2.0 lntenl of Trip. ..3 3.0 Methodology. ..3 4.0 Bockground. .,4 5.4 Environment and Natural Resources 4 6.0 Understonding the Genesis of Floods in Kosese...... 5 .....5
6.1 Threats to the Catchment Areas...... 5 6.2 Modifications of River Nyamwamba...... ,5 6.3 Collapse of River Bank Management Regimes. .,...6 6.4 River Diversion...... 6
6.5 Loss of Riparian Vegetation...... 7 6.6 River Channel Aggradations and Degradation...... , .....8 6.7 Bridges...... 8 6.8 Gravel Extraction...... 8 7.0 The 2013 ond 2014 Floods...... I
8.0 Observolions. 9
8.1 Rapid assessment to ascertain the extent of damage 9
8.2 Preliminary damages are summarized below: 9
?.0 Generol Recommendotions...... 11 The lmmediote lnterventions required...... ,...... 11 long lerm Flood Disoster Monogemenl options...... 1.1 . Relocotion of the most vulneroble persons: ...... 12 . lmmediote tree plonling olong the riverbonks: ...... 12 . Periodic Chonnel De-silting ond dredging to increose flow surfoce qreo...... 12 Conctusions:...... 12
2 1.0 lnlroduclion
Kosese District hos once ogoin been hit by onother disostrous flood exoctly seven yeors ofter the one of lst Moy 2013 on the sqme five moin rivers of Lhubiriho, Mubuku, Nyomwombo, Nyomugosoniond Sebwe troversing eleven Sub Counties ond 3 Divisions. Severe flooding storted of oround midnight ond peoked between 03:00 ond 04:00hrs of 7th Moy 2020.
Previously, flooding wos registered on 8th Moy 2014, ond 6th Moy 2015. All these flood disosters including the current one hove hod the some chorocteristics of bursting the river bonks, of neorly the some weok points os in the 20,I3 floods.
The current flooding storted with River Nyomwombo bursting its bonks on severol weok points olong the river in porticulor the oreos of Kosese Municipol Council, with Nyomwombo ond Bulembio division being severely offected. These floods hove swept owoy Kyonjuki-Kotiri Bridge ond Kilembe mines Hospitol infrostructure including the Store, Morgue ond words os well os interruption of oll Hospitol services.
Simultoneous floods hove olso occurred olong River Lhubiriho in Bukonzo west with heovy effects in the Sub Counties of Kitholhu, Korombi ond Mpondwe-Lhubiriho Town Council while river Nyomugosoni in the Bukonzo Eost offected in the sub counties of Kyorumbo, Kyondo ond Kisingo. River Mubuku flooding on the other hond offected the communities of Molibo, Bugogye ond Korusondoro Sub Counties. Equolly offected ore lbondo-Kyonyo Town Council, Kisingo Town council Mubuku Town Council.
2.0 Intent of Trip.
The trip wos intended of ossessing the level of domoge coused by the floods in Moy 2020, emergency response ond recovery efforts undertoken by vorious stokeholders. Estoblish the mognitude of the domoge, evoluote emergency response meosures ond recovery efforts undertoken so ofor ond look of the gops in ony.
3.0 Melhodology.
The following octivities were undertoken: o) Scheduling ond holding joint meeting with politicol leoders, district technicol officers, civil society orgonisqtions ond medio; ond b) lnspection of flood hit oreos.
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3 ^-f 4.0 Bockground.
Most of the rivers in Kosese district originote from the Rwenzori Mountoins ond empty their woters into the two droinoge bosins of Lokes George ond Edword. There ore numerous socio-economic octivities being undertoken within the cotchments of these rivers, both by the public ond the privote sectors dominoted by subsistence forming for livelihoods of the mountoin communities.
These include ogriculture, industry, settlements/urbonizotion, Mining, energy production (mini-hydro-electric power generotion) ond wildlife conservotion. There ore, however o number of threots posed by mony of these octivities to the woter resources, ond the wotersheds in porticulor.
The mojor threots include increosing humon populotion ond its pressures on lond, encroochment ond degrodotion of frogile ecosystems porticulorly on the sensitive mountoin slopes ond river bonks; ond weok monogement of the environment ond noturol resources. Recently, unsustoinoble Iond-use proctices such os deforestotion, overgrozing, cultivotion of steep slopes without integrotion of prudent soil ond wqter conservotion proctices, ond riverbqnks ond wetlonds degrodotion hove been blomed for increosed occurrence of environmentol disosters in the oreo.
The topogrophy of Kosese ore olso chorocterized by 3 moin ottributes which include l. Protected oreo-Rwenzori Mountoins Notionol Pork 2. Community lond chorocterized by the bore hills ond the subsistence ogriculturol production zone 3. Settlements olong the river systems with the ossocioted problems.
5.4 Environmenl ond Nolurol Resources
Amongst the environmentol problems the district is focing of the moment include excessive melting of snow cover on Rwenzori Mountoin, soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, increosed lond conflicts, reduced vegetotion cover, poor heolth ond sonitotion, reduced fish stocks, poor lond use plonning, pollution, degroded wetlonds, river bonks, ond lokeshores ond conflicts with Protected Areosl.
The environmentol degrodotion in Kosese district is moinly ottributed to the increose in populotion ond resultont quest for more ogriculturol ond grozing lond. Yet much of Kosese district lond oreo is gozetted os protected oreos such os the Queen Elizobeth Notionol ond Rwenzori mountoins Notionol Pork.
I Kosese District Development Plon for the period 2010/11 -2014115 :- 4 6.0 Underslonding the Genesis of Floods in Kqsese
River Nyomwombo, Mubuku ond Nyomugosoni Cotchment Areos. Originoting in the Rwenzoris Mountoins of Western Ugondo, Rivers Nyomwombo, Mubuku ond Nyomugosoni ond their tributories droln on opproximote 300 kmz wotershed of steep mountoins, deep forested oreo of the Rwenzori Mountoins Notionol Pork, ond brood open volleys. The rivers droin into Loke George ond Edword.
The topogrophy of the cotchment is very pronounced. The highest point in the wotershed is formed by the tops of the Rwenzori Mountoins with heights of up to 5,.l09 metres obove seo level. Ihe lowest point in the wotershed is the swomp oreo in which Rivers Mubuku ond Nyomwombo dischorge.
The swomp is linked to Loke George ond hos on oltitude of opproximotely 915 metres obove seo level. River Nyomugosoni dischorges in the Loke Edword system. The slopes of the volleys in the moin upper wotershed of oll the 3 focol rivers ore more than 25% ond reduce in the middle zone to obout 10-20%. The lower low lond slopes ore mild up to obout 5%2,
6.1 Threots lo the Cotchmenl Areos
The cotchment oreos hove severol socio-economic octivities such os ogriculture, industry, settlements, urbonizotion, hydroelectric power generotion ond wildlife conservotion.
6.2 Modificolions of River Nyomwombo
River Nyomwombo which flows through the Rwenzori Mountoins Notionol Pork, Kilembe, Kosese Municipolity ond the Queen Elizqbeth Notionol Pork before it finolly pours its woters in the Loke George hos been the most disostrous.
2 Kosese Districl Locol Government, Moy 2014. Floods Occunences Report 1" Moy 2013 ond 8th Moy 2014
5 <- Figure 5: Flood risk oreos ond elemenls olong Nyomwombo in Kilembes
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4.... -, ; Surcunty boundary
Floo<, ra-k tevel- (E)eptti) If-il[Il Le* ilE Hlgh Ir re The disostrous effects of River Nyomwombo ore ottributed to:
6.3 Collopse of River Bonk Monogemenl Regimes.
Following the closure of Kilembe Mines Limited, the desilting regimes of the River Nyomwombo volleys in the upper Kilembe zones stopped oltogether. Over the yeors, boulders of vorious sizes hove occumulcrted in the river ond essentiolly reduced the effective width, chonnel volume ond river tronsport copocity. The reduced river depth ond width contributed to the river bursting its bonks.
6.4 River Diversion.
Ihere ore fwo principol woter diversions for River Nyomwombo. The mojor one is below Konzuki villoge where the entire river wos diverted from its moin chonnel to on ortificiol one purposely to creote on oreo lorge enough to coter for construction of the Kilembe Mine premises. This meont thot the river wos directed to flow in on oreo with weok river bonks compored to the olreody hordened bonks in its originol chonnel. The strength of the diversion structures is the only hope for those people living in the vulneroble oreos.
The other diversions of significonce ore olong the illegol irrigotion points olong River Nyomwombq downstreom. The diversions weokened the bonks ond moke it eosy for the river to flow over its bonks destroying crops ond other neorby structures.
e Siudy of the flooding in Rwenzori Mountoin for effeciive disosler Monogemenl, November 2013 6 rSLc c Figure 6: llluslrolions of River Nyomwombq diversions (shown by orrows) - 36N 0166589, UTM 0024041)4
6.5 loss of Riporion Vegelolion.
Loss of riporion vegetotion through humon octivities porticulorly deforestotion reduced bonk slope stobility ond increosed sedimentotion to the river. Furthermore in Februory 2012 |ves destroyed vegetotion covering l5 kmz ot obout 3000 - 4000 metres obove seo level in upper reoches of Nyomwqmbo ond Nyomugosoni cotchments. The couse of fire remoins o mystery though it could be ottributed to humqn or noturol couses. The resultont vegetotion loss exposed underlying boulders ond reduced orgonic motter leoding to reduced woter retention copocity, increosed runoff, erosion ond river sedimentotion.
Plote I ond 2: Domoge of fires in Februory 2012r
4 Kosese Dislrict Locol Government, Moy 2014. Floods Occunences Report lil Moy 20l3 ond 8tn Moy 201 4
7 <<- 6.6 River Chonnel Aggrodolions qnd Degrodotion.
A river not only moves loterolly, but the bed olso noturolly moves up ond down. When the riverbed increoses in height (relotive to o previous height), it is colled oggrodotion, when it decreoses in height it is colled bed degrodotion. Aggrodotion contributed to flooding os o result of deposition of sediment lood including boulders reducing the depth of chonnels.
6.7 Bridges.
Bridges hove in some instonces been seen os structures thot constrict the octive river chonnel ond sometimes inhibit sediment tronsportotion through the river system. The Kyonjuki ond Bulembio bridges were woshed owoy due to this reoson ond subsequent creotion of o weok point over which the river wos oble to breok its bonks.
6.8 Grovel Extroction.
Grovel extroction in the lower Nyomwombo ond Mubuku volleys hos coused degrodotion of the bonks focilitoting heod cut erosion, occeleroting the erosive forces of the river ond destobilizing the river chonnel.
7.0 The 2013 ond 2014 Floods.
Following the lst doy of Moy 20l3 floods thot occurred in Kosese, the district wos by yet onother disostrous flood of oround l0.00om of the Bt' doy of Moy 20,l4. This occurred ofter one yeor ond o week.
The flood hod the some chorocteristics of bursting river bonks of exoctly the some weok points os in Moy 2013.
The first river to burst its bonks wos River Nyomwombo flooding into Bulembio Primory School, Kilembe Mines offices, Kyonjuki-Kotiri newly constructed tormoc rood, Konyorubogo oreo ond finolly Kilembe Mines Hospitol.
River Nyomwombo floods were followed by spontoneous flush floods coused by rivers Nyomugosoni in Kyorumbo, Kyondo ond Kisingo. River Mubuku in Molibo, Bugoye ond Korusondoro wos olso reported to hove olso burst its bonks.
8 8.0 Observotions.
8.1 Ropid ossessmenl lo oscerlqin the extent of domoge.
Preliminory findings indicote significont domoge to both public ond privote property. Loss of humon life, Loss of crops, Loss of onimols, ond Loss of sociol ond physicol infrostructure both privote ond Government which included Schools, bridges, Heolth Focilities ond most importontly Kilembe Hospitolwos registered. At Household level, the loss wos colossol.
8.2 Preliminory domoges qre summorized below:
a It hos been estqblished thot o totql number of l5 schools were either completely woshed owoy or portiolly destroyed with severol clossroom blocks ond pit lotrines were woshed owoy while others got portiol domoges. The schools offected ore Bulembio School, Bikono Primory School, Kyoboyenze Primory school omong others.
a It is cleor thot severol bridges including the recently completed Kyonjuki, were completely destroyed while others were clogged by logs ond boulders. Hydropower focilities especiolly the Nyomwombo Smoll Hydro Power project comp wos destroyed ond equipment lost including vehicles. Others thot were domoged include the Mpondwe Bridge, lsongo Bridge, the Kiburoro Bridge, ond the lower Ntomwqmbo Bridge omong others.
a It wos noted thot severol roods were now impossoble os most of them hod developed deep gullies both Tormoc, grovel ond eorth roods. This is common in Kqrusondorq Sub County.
a Further to note is the foct thot most woter supply systems ond works in the cotegories of Grovity Flow Scheme, Woter treotment plonts, boreholes ond protected woter springs were destroyed while others were portiolly domoged. Three School's woter system - Nsenyi Primory, St Thereso girls Nsenyi ond the Cotechist troining Centre were lost one grovity flow woter system which is connected to oll the schools wos ,l00,000 domoged. About 50,000- bricks for Kisingo town council youth's project were olso destroyed.
a ln the Heolth Sector, Kilembe Mines Hospitol (3/4 destroyed). This hos left very mony people without occess to heolth focilities. The Kilembe Mines Hospitol will octuolly need relocotion os the best woy to sove it from this disostrous phenomenol.
9 a On Environmentol Heolth, severol pit lotrines, hond woshing focilities ond bothing focilities were seriously offected. Severol ocres of onnuol ond perenniol cosh ond food crops which include Bononos, Vonilo, Cocoom Moize, ond Beons fields were destroyed including fish ponds.
a There wos o re-occurrence on the 20th Moy 2020 of oround 8:00 om - 9: 00om where three of the mojor rivers in the district burst their bonks. These include; River Rwembyo - Kisingo Subcounty ond Kisingo Town council, River Lhubiriho - lhondiro Subcounty, Kitholhu Subcounty, Korombi Sub county ond Mpondwe Lhubiriho Town council ond RiverThoku- Kitholhu Sub County. The re-occurrence oggrovoted the domoge in the oreos where the soid rivers poss.
o ln Bughobirwo Villoge, londslides coused the deoth of; Kobugho Vongirino 7Oyeors, Mosiko Korontino 40 yeors, Mosiko Agnes - 2Oyeors, Biiro Felesto - i6yeors (Student ot Kitholhu Secondory). At Kororu villoge - killed Yubu Munzombo - SZyrs, Mbuso - 22 yrs overogely ond the 3 more deoths were reported ond only one body recovered.
One of the Inlernolly Disploced Peoples'Comps in Korusondoro due to floods; Moy 2020
*$ 10 The Teom inspects one of the Destroyed Bridges connecting lsongo to Kilholhu
9.0 Generol Recommendotions.
The lmmediote lnterventions required.
o There is on urgent need to provide both food ond non- food relief to those disploced by the floods. A totol of thirty two thousond citizens hove been disploced cousing the creotion of thirty two comps in vorious oreos due to the floods. These oreos hove no heolth focilities;the sonitotion in the comps is worrying since there ore very limited toilets ond other ploces for convenience. a The ministry of Works ond Tronsport should urgently swing into oction to fix the domoged bridges ond ollow smooth movement within the entire district. a A quick rehobilitotion plon should be devised to enoble those disploced to get o ploce for their settlement. The chollenge is thot the comps ore estoblished of school sites ond should the school open, there will be o stompede in the schools progrom.
long Term Flood Disqster Monogemenl options. According to the obove focts, there ore possibilities qnd opprooches to solve the problem of flood disosters in the district with much emphosis on the Nyomwmbo, Lhubiriho ond Mubuku volleys which hove become chronic; ond thot this will involve coreful selection ond execution of o number of mojor interventions thot best oddress the problem of hond, os highlighted below.
a lmplementotion of the Kosese Municipolity Droinoge Mosler Plon ond other oreos where these rivers troverse. lt is mondotory thot urbon oreos develop droinoge moster plons thot ore key in guiding droinoge potterns ond systems in on urbon oreo. Kosese municipolity is one such oreos where the droinoge moster plon hqs been developed ond owoits funding for implementotion.
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o Relocotion of the most vulnerqble persons: A rodicol ond once for oll solution to river Nyomwombo flood disosters would be for everybody settling or working in the volley to vocote so thot the very volotile river is oble to flow freely in its noturol volley.
a lmmediqte lree plonting olong the riverbqnks: This intervention will be necessory to stobilize the river bonk ond check loterol erosion. However, this is not sufficient enough to control the usuolly high ond wild river flows thot frequently couse floods; qnd os it wos observed during the field qssessment, even the trees which hod been plonted ond/or mointoined for long in the river volley ond were olreody moture growing did not contoin the floods problem. lt would be o smort option to plont Bomboo in the volleys to be oble to control the floods.
a Periodic Chonnel De-silting qnd dredging to increose flow surfoce oreo. For oll flood vulneroble river in the district, we need to remove boulders from the river chonnels ond expond them to occommodote lorge volumes of woter during the periods of high flows to ovoid flood risks; os well os river troining in the diverted chonnel ports of the rivers to simulote noturol form chorocteristics ond hydroulic flow dynomics. This will require permonent equipment thot will be stotioned to occosionolly de-silt the rivers.
Conclusions:
The following conclusion con be mode:
a There is need to respect the river's noturol flow chonnels. Rivers hove dynomic systems whereby flooding ond chonnel migrotion result from noturol woter flow processes.
a Flood hozord monCIgement recognizes thot it moy be more cost-effective ond environmentol friendly to work within o river's noturol tendency. "Fighting" o river's nqturol tendency is often more costly ond con result in other problems downstreom os we ore now witnessing.
a There is need to incorporote public porticipotion ond inter-ogency coordinotion in the decision moking process. A public decision-moking process to recommend o course of oction ond community porticipotion ore essentiol to consider community concerns ond to educote locol residents on ective flood hozord monogement
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Members of Delegotion
l. Hon. Betty Aol Ocon ( Gulu, District Womon Representotive) 2. Hon. Nomogondo Veronico ( Bukomonsimbi, District Womon Representotive) 3. Hon. Ocon Potrick ( Apoc Municipolity) 4. Hon. Sewungu Gonzogo ( Kolungu County West)