RWAMPARA-One person was confirmed dead as hailstorms devastated about 1,500 households in Rwampara district, putting locals in danger of facing famine in the months ahead, after their crop gardens were destroyed.
According to the district LCV chairperson Richard Owomugasho, the heavy rains with hailstorms did not only destroy banana and other crop gardens but also destroyed some schools, churches, and houses, calling upon government to provide the affected families with relief items like food and shelter.
Clesensio Murambati, one of the locals in Mwizi Subcounty said, “Hailstorms have almost wiped two parishes of Ryamiyonga and Kigaaga, affecting over 12 villages in Mwizi Sub-county.”
“It was so heavy and it is very unfortunate that one person in Kabaya village in Kigaaga parish died while other three people were taken to hospital in critical condition,” Owomugasho said.
The deceased was identified as Onesmus Nuwe a resident of Ryamiyonga parish who was struggling to rescue his animals and other property from the hailstorms.
It is also estimated that property worth about Shs 300 million was destroyed and over 200 acres of banana plantations were destroyed.
Other crops damaged include; cassava, maize, beans, sorghum, peas, and Irish potatoes, and property such as Kyeyare Church School, 11 houses, 142 iron sheets, eight goats, and 12 pigs killed by the hailstorms in Kabaya village Kigaaga parish.
Owomugasho is worried that during this season, there will be a meager harvest in Mwizi Sub-county if government does not provide farmers with early maturing seedlings.
Benon Musime, senior agriculture officer, Rwampara district faces challenges when rainstorms happen because of poor farming methods. “When you go to Mwizi, you will find that the homesteads don’t have any trees to act as wind barriers on the periphery of the fields which expose their gardens to strong winds, floods, and soil erosion,” he said.
He said most households don’t have what to eat right now after their crop gardens were destroyed.
“People don’t have what to eat. We are telling them to remain calm as we wait for government support,” he said.
Meanwhile, Musime has appealed to the people of Rwampara to grow trees around their banana plantations to act as windbreaks.
Musime also advised farmers in Rwampara to practice intercropping to protect their land from soil erosion. “Big part of Rwampara, farmers grow bananas but they should now diversify into coffee so that when a calamity comes they should not lose all the crops,” he said.
The hardest hit villages include; Kihangire village, Ryamiyonga, Kabaya village, Kyoma I, Kimuli, Kakoni I, Ryamiyonga, Kyeyare, Kakoni II, Kyoma II, and Rwenyaga.
Owomugasho said his district faces the challenge of a hilly terrain that is not supported by enough vegetation cover. “Since about 30 percent of the area is hilly, we expect similar disasters to happen again if the poor farming practices are not stopped,” Owomugasho said.
https://thecooperator.news/heavy-rains-worsen-road-conditions-in-amuru-gulu-districts/
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