BY ZALIMON BASIGHALHA (GOOD LUCK)
Flood victims encamped at some temporarily established camps in Kyarumba Sub-county and Kyarumba Town Council in Bukonzo County East, Kasese district are living in fear of being attacked by some diseases following the poor health and sanitation in their respective places of refuge.
Early this month, most parts of Kasese district witnessed heavy rains that caused mudslides, landslides and floods that left at least 13 people dead while others lost property including houses and crops especially in the Sub-counties of Kyondo, Nyakabingo, Kyarumba, Bugoye, Bwesumbu, Buhuhira and Kyarumba Town Council among others.
In Bukonzo County East, Kalonge I Primary School is currently accommodating 30 households with over a 100 occupants, Kiduku Roman Catholic Church has 250 households with a total of 2,459 persons, Bwitho Primary School has 229 households with a total of 1,502 persons while St. Michael Mughanza Primary School has 179 households with a total of 529 occupants.
Uzieri Ithungu Kabangire, the Chairperson of the displaced persons at St. Michael Mughanza Primary School says some of the victims at her camp have started registering cases of red eyes, appealing to the District Health Authorities to intervene before the situation goes out of hand.
Mr. Joseph Kule, the Chairperson for Kabingo Church of Uganda Camp, also says cases of red eyes have been reported among the flood victims at the camp, calling for the intervention of the District Health Authorities and the District Disaster Management Committee.
At Kalonge I Primary School, Mr. Mayani Mbusa, the Camp Chairperson is skeptical that his people might be attacked by malaria because they do not sleep under the insecticide treated mosquito nets.
He also reveals that they are worried of being hit by cholera because they drink unsafe water while their pit latrines were washed away during the flood incident.
Responding to some of their concerns, Dr. Julius Monday Bwambale Rude, the Bukonzo County East NRM Chairperson, who had visited the four camps over the weekend to sympathize with the victims, said he visit was aimed at ascertaining the magnitude of the disaster so that he joins other local leaders and partners to inform the relevant government ministries and lobby for relief.
Dr. Rude, who is also a Parliamentary hopeful for the same constituency delivered his relief in form of money and appealed to the general population to embrace tree planting and apply terraces in their pieces of land.
ENDS