- County leaderships must reactivate disaster response mechanisms besides donations of items to affected communities.
- Attention must shift to the affected people, their lives in camps and related evacuation zones in addition to thinking about repairing infrastructure.
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
Once more, the failure to properly harvest water across the country and put in place disaster preparedness mechanisms is punishing people.
In flood prone counties such as Busia that perennially experience floods, a functional disaster preparedness team and strategy under the Governor’s office that easily marshal resources and action is mandatory.
A chief officer in charge of disaster in a county like Busia is a must-for floods are annual in the county-with domestic resources that can quickly mobilise county attention during such periods.
The county leadership must reactivate disaster response mechanisms besides donation of simple items to the affected communities as has always been the case.
Attention must shift to the affected people, their lives in camps and related evacuation zones in addition to thinking about repairing infrastructure.
The destruction of the Ruambwa and Mudembi Rice Irrigation Schemes in Bunyala North in Budalangi constituency is very devastating to the communities. This has a bearing on the food security and economic empowerment.
The response from the counties has been rather slow and wanting; we have nearly 362 homesteads back in internally displaced camps in Budalangi, up from 60 homesteads since the last floods in 2020.
The roads in some parts of the constituency have been destroyed and now with schools reopening, school-going children will face challenges.
Evidently, the level of preparedness to deal with the disaster in the county has appeared weak if not non-existent, thus the appeal that the national government should move in to deal with any risks associated with such seasons.
The local leaders must use the convening of the national assemblies to bring this matter to national attention and call for action, otherwise it will be shameful and negligence on their part if they treat as normal situations that will be dealt with through CDF contributions.
Remember it's also planting time in the region thus emergency interventions including dealing with livestock diseases and feeding, farming and seed planting, storage facilities, emergency medical supplies and overall disaster management system and rapid response to risks/outbreaks are needed urgently.
Already, Budalangi subcounty has recorded destruction of foot bridges and roads in paralysing the transport. Floods have devastated villages and landing beaches slums destruction of health facilities, contaminated water sources and increased stagnant water ponds among other destruction.
The areas around the lake have yet to recover from the Lake Victoria back flows of 2020 which occurred when the spill gateways in the Uganda-based dams saw increased back flows in the rivers draining into Lake Victoria including Kenya-based rivers such as Suo, Nzoia, Yala resul;ting in negative impact on human activities in the areas.
The back flows and increased water levels led to beaches along the lake being submerged while lowlands experienced flooding which seriously affected the region.
It's important that plans are shared on how, in addition to moving the affected people to dry areas, the national and county governments plan to assist in opening drainage and water pathways to allow movement of water from homes.
Plans are also needed on provision of temporary moveable toilets, supply of water treatment chemicals, supply of livestock medication and quick maturing seeds to affected communities coupled with public education to dealing with Corona virus is going to help in coping with the situation.
Given that water levels increase during the night forcing families to relocate at night, security officers on curfew patrols must be told not to victimise such families who are running away from death.
They should assist such people trace safe grounds instead of harassing them.