Heavy rains worsen roads in Amuru, Gulu districts
Residents swim with merchandise on their backs to access neighbouring villages
Heavy rains pounding northern Uganda after a long drought have dug holes in critical roads in both Amuru and Gulu, our reporter reveals, and now transporters face a crisis as they cannot deliver food to markets.
One key road leading to Lakang sub-county from the Amuru district headquarters led to accidents after trailers crushed into each other at top speed.
Worst hit are the Palema and Bana trading centers. One new accident was on Sunday, where a truck numbered UBG 242X veered off the road because of a large new pothole. The driver failed to keep balance and much damage was done.
Walter Anywar, the Layima sub-county Council Speaker said in that truck alone, they lost soya bean seed worth millions of shillings.
Nearly one kilometer of this stretch is now almost impassable, Anywar said.
Anthony Ocaya, the Secretary LC I of Labongo B village in Lujoro parish said more accidents were likely going by previous precedents. Now businesses are worried of possible losses when they cannot get merchandise to replenish their stores while grain and other commodities could be rotting elsewhere.
More rains are still expected, as the rainy season around the equator stretches from September all through to November, weather experts said.
More accidents could follow as a result. Some trucks have tried to be brave – dodging potholes in the roads by cutting a path through people’s gardens but the sod soil soon gives way and what follows is a mighty crash.
Amuru District LC V Chairman Michael Lakony said the road in question is a central government responsibility and should be maintained by the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA). Very little activity has been seen there, though.
Lakony said reminders to the regional UNRA office have only yielded empty promises.
Also affected are critical bridges, which means entire regions are cut off, with no recourse to short-cuts elsewhere.
In Gulu District’s Unyama sub-county, a bridge connecting Olano, Obyela and Burcoro was last week swept away by torrents as everyone looked on helplessly.
Now residents have to find a narrow section in the river, where they try to cross, simply guessing as to where the river might be shallow. That puts them at the risk of drowning, said James Opio, a resident of Olano, nearby.
“Our people are now using a much narrower section of the river to cross and access Bucoro for services including the market. If not worked on, our children will not attend school,” he said.
