Heavy Rains And Hailstorms Batter Amolatar

AMOLATAR – Hailstorms and heavy rains have become more frequent and more intense in the northern district of Amolatar and have almost wiped out entire gardens in Nakatiti parish, Muntu Sub County.

Several homesteads are counting losses after heavy rains wiped out a would-be meager harvest last Friday, June 18.

The affected villages include; Kitaleba A in which about 120 households were affected.

At least 80 households were hardest hit in Kitaleba B and a few in Nakatiti.

Before last Friday’s hailstorm, Muntu Sub County, had been considered a safe option. It was one of the few sub counties in Amolatar district, which had not been battered by heavy rains and floods.

And some of the worst hit farmers had even hired gardens to grow crops there.

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Hellen Akullo, a 69-year-old widow and resident of Nakatiti village and Milly Acai, a widow looking after 10 orphans, were shocked to find all their crops swept away by the heavy rains.

They have since launched an appeal to the government to provide fast yielding seeds like beans, cassava and maize to plant in gardens ravaged by the storm.

Faith Adupa, a farmer who lost five Acres of sim sim and cassava, said the devastation may spur a spate of thefts since there’s no crop left to eat.

“I am afraid of a possible looming hunger because at the moment we have almost nothing in the garden, if nothing is done by the government over this matter, then we are gone,” she said.

Silvia Onono, who lost 15 chickens to the hailstorm, is happy that her animals survived because she had relocated them on June 17, a day before the storm, to another spot.

“God works in different ways. Imagine I used to tie my animals under this very tree which fell on the chicken house during the hailstorm. What if they were tied under the tree, they would all be dead by now,” Onono said.

Stella Ochan, the women’s affairs secretary for Nakatiti parish, called for government rescue packages.

Geoffrey Ocen, the Amolatar district chairperson, said the district’s disaster and preparedness committee is yet to assess the magnitude of the damage for onward reporting to the Prime Minister’s office.

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