Flooding has swept into Nakapiripirit, displacing 1,000 people.
A bridge named Namalera, which connects Karamoja to the rest of eastern Uganda regions such as Kapchorwa, Bulambuli, and Mbale, was also devastated by flash floods triggered by a heavy downpour on Wednesday.
After flash floods destroyed their homes and crops in Namalu sub county, Nakapiripirit district, almost 1,400 families are considering their next steps.
A bridge named Namalera, which connects Karamoja to the rest of eastern Uganda regions such as Kapchorwa, Bulambuli, and Mbale, was also devastated by flash floods triggered by a heavy downpour on Wednesday.
Many houses have been destroyed, while others have become weaker and are on the danger of collapse, according to Namalu village chairperson Mark Icumar. After the bridge was damaged, he added, the floodwaters reached people’s homes.
“The water rushed at a tremendous speed and washed away all of the metal culverts that the Uganda National Roads Authority had installed,” Icumar explained.
Floods swept away two of Grace Moru’s sorghum granaries and eight of her chicken granaries, according to one of the villagers.
“Right now, I don’t know where to begin; all of my food is gone, and everything in the garden that I was meant to harvest has been damaged!” she exclaimed.
Many people are going to starve, according to Toney Agatha, the Namalu sub county leader, who has appealed to the Prime Minister’s office for help.
According to Agatha, this is the second time flash floods have wreaked devastation in Namalu sub county this year, with the entire town council of Namalu being swamped earlier this year.
Hassan Oumar, a turnboy for a gateway bus that runs the Mbale-Moroto route via Nakapiripirit, told URN that the route had been changed to pass through Nakakpiripirit, Moroto, Katakwi, Soroti, and Mbale, a distance of 380 kilometers as opposed to 200 kilometers when using Moroto, Mbale via Nakapiripirit.
The district chairperson of Nakapiripirit, John Nangiro, has urged the Uganda National Roads Authority team to rebuild the bridge as soon as possible, claiming that the longer they wait, the more it will harm the residents of Nakapiripirit’s family income.
He also calls on the Prime Minister’s Office and development partners to act and assist the afflicted families. “Those affected require tarpaulins for sleeping and eating, so we are appealing to our partners and the Prime Minister’s office for assistance,” he said.
