Budalangi residents have been told to plant trees to reduce flooding.
Agricultural Finance Corporation managing director Lucas Meso also urged the county government to budget for afforestation to improve the forest cover.
Meso spoke when he led an AFC team on a tree-planting drive in Munjogo hills, Port Victoria area of Busia county. About 4000 tree seedlings were planted.
He said the drive was to help achieve the government's initiative of 10 per cent forest cover and to avert floods. Busia has two per cent forest cover.
Meso told residents that trees slow down the rush of rainwater, therefore, preventing flooding.
Recently, over 50 households were displaced when their houses were marooned in Mukhunga and Narera areas of Bunyala West following heavy the heavy rains.
The affected families were moved to Lunyofu and Bukoba Primary schools camps.
Meso said that they are targeting to plant between 1 and 2 million trees across the country.
He regretted that climate change is affecting the whole world and stressed the need to team up with the community to help them see the need for afforestation.
"We have realised that the forest coverage in our county is very minimal and for us to attain the millennium goal of 10 per cent forest coverage it needs collaboration with the community, participating in tree planting and taking care of the planted trees," Meso said.
Busia chairman of the chamber of commerce Peter Kubebea regretted that the forest cover has dropped from 10 to about 7 per cent.
Kubebea said that the Environment and Forestry CS Keriako Tobiko now has an obligation to have a master plan to ensure that the forest cover improves.
"We are targeting 100 hills in Busia which is a big step forward towards afforestation in the county. We call upon the environment CS to give us funds to support Busia because we have exotic mountains that can make the county a big destination for tourism.
"If we can link up afforestation, agriculture and tourism Busia will be the biggest changer for business in the country," Kubebea noted.
