KAPELEBYONG – Hundreds of people continue to sleep on grasses in Kapelebyong district as heavy downpours with flood swept more than 200 villages in the newly created district in Teso sub-region exposing them to risks of disease and famine and outbreaks.
Janet Akello a resident of Kapelebyong said many families continue to sleep on grasses after last week’s heavy rainfall that lasted several days ravaged settlements and gardens.
“My compound was filled with water; even inside the houses… it is now grass that we use as bedding then in the morning bring it out to dry,” Akello said
Another resident, Dickenson Otime said crops including sweet potatoes, groundnuts, cassava among others have been destroyed leaving them exposed to possible famine anytime soon.
Many road users including traders using vehicles remain stuck on the bad roads filled with mud and water.
Some of the seriously affected areas include parishes like Aribet, Ameseniko, Kapelebyong, Okoboi, Nyada among several others.
According to Mr Simon Erwagu, Kapelebyong district chairman most of the 222 villages are seriously affected by the flood.
Mr Erwagu who is has been district chairman for barely three months, says the flood has caused mayhem. He says many roads are inaccessible, teachers’ houses collapsed, several pit latrines sunk and many pupils have been cut off from schools.
Mr Erwagu blames Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) for doing shoddy work on roads which has worsened the situation making service delivery difficult especially during the flooding.
He called upon the ministry of disaster preparedness and management to intervene immediately because the situation in the region is a security threat in terms of food.
Kapelebyong is one of the 25 districts constituted in July 2018 and it has a population of over 87,000 people.
According to the Uganda National Meteorological Authority, September to December constitutes the second major rainfall season in the country, and if nothing is done, the situation in this Teso region could get worse.