On Tuesday, March 14th 2023, Kampala and her environs flooded. The ugly floods delayed and stopped work. They slowed traffic, blocked roads and damaged property. Uganda Police stated that water levels along Jinja Road specifically at Namanve and Banda were increasing and affecting traffic flow. Social media is awash with images capturing the flood mayhem.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), floods which occur “when an overflow of water submerges land that is usually dry,” are the most frequent type of natural disaster. Floods in Uganda are often caused by heavy rainfall. WHO categorizes floods into three types: flash floods; river floods and coastal floods. What we witnessed on Tuesday, March 14th 2023 were flash floods common in Uganda.
Flash floods are sudden rushes of water over dry land that result from and occur shortly after heavy rain. Floods can cause widespread devastation, resulting in loss of life by drowning, and damage to personal property and critical public health infrastructure. Floods spread diseases, and chemical hazards, and disrupt normal life. Flooding has a number of environmental effects, including the degradation of animal habitats. Rivers and wetlands may be polluted by tainted flood water. Plants on farms can be destroyed by silt and sediment. Frequent and more severe weather events including flooding are one of the consequences of human-induced climate change and environmental degradation, including rampant and widespread wetlands destruction and deforestation.
We urge Ugandans and the authorities to prioritize wetlands restoration, reforestation, environmental conservation and ambitious climate action through mitigation and adaptation measures and a rapid transition to renewables. The war on wetlands specifically and nature generally must stop if we are to win the battle against floods in Uganda. We must support the efforts of NEMA and other stakeholders working for nature, the planet or the environment for the sake of our health, economy, lives and livelihoods. For the sake of a liveable future.
Link to our press statement: https://envishield.org/storage/2023/03/FLOODS-1.pdf
