Thousands of people have been displaced by fresh floods of Lake Albert in Buliisa District, officials say.
Mr Musa Asaba, the Butyaba Town Council Local Government Chairman in Buliisa Lower tells Kazi-njema Video Unit that more than 1,000 households have been displaced in his area of jurisdiction alone.
“The most affected six villages include Magali, Triangle, Kigangaizi, Pida B, Kekeeya and Pida A,” he discloses.
The chairman adds that Butyaba Primary School is at the verge of being submerged highlighting the need for relief aid to save thousands of people who have been hit for the second time.
The Buliisa District Local Government Chairman, Mr Fred Lukumu, says more than 10,000 people have already been displaced in the entire district.
He reveals that the district leaders have already petitioned different government offices and humanitarian agencies including the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) seeking relief aid.
“The problem is very serious and our people have become more vulnerable.”
He calls for sustainable settlements for the affected people.
For Butyaba alone, Mr Asaba implores the government to negotiate with safe land owners in the area to resettle the flood victims.
“For instance, Buliisa Livestock Farmers Association (BULIFA) has 1,240 acres of land that they can sell to the government. There is also Sunday Robinson and Others with 345 acres, Kabatabaazi and Others with 145 acres and Mulimba and Others with 145 acres. Another eligible land seller to the government is Booma Goat Rearing Association that has 145 acres and the disputed 1,700-acre-piece of land at Wantembo,” he suggests.
Lowland dwellers across the country are threatened again by floods of the 2021 magnitude that left many landing sites on Lake Albert closed and social infrastructure destroyed.
