By John Thawite
KASESE - Efforts are underway to tame River Nyamwamba which burst its bank due to flooding last week, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
At the request of the district leadership, Hima Cement Factory released its PC400 excavator to start re-channeling the river, starting upstream at Bulembia Primary School.
“We are determined to support the local communities to cope with this recurrent disaster from the floods. The district can use the excavator as long as it needs to address the problem,” Hima Cement’s plant manager Peter J. Robson told New Vision.
An Assistant Chief Administrative Officer (ACAO), Wilson Asaaba, said another excavator working on Mubuku Irrigation Scheme would be deployed to de-silt and redirect the river.
The river has since last year shifted from its original course during floods and as a result has destroyed public and domestic infrastructure along the river valley.
Eight people, including a former Kasese district procurement and disposal officer, Paddy Karusu, were killed during the May 2013 floods.
One year on, it has been déjà vu, with the forces of nature striking once again in the same spot.
Just last week – on Thursday – floods forced Kilembe Mines Hospital to evacuate 195 in-patients and transfer them to various health facilities in Kasese Municipality.