Local leaders and residents of the Kasese district are in fear after the gabions or barriers that were built to hold the excess water from spilling over the banks started caving in.

The ongoing heavy rains in many parts of the country have not spared Kasese and the water volume of the River is continuing to rise.

According to the leaders, de-silting the river was seen as the solution to the persistent problem of the river bursting its banks but they are now worried that it is also showing signs of failure. 

Around this time of May every year, residents of Kasese live in fear afraid that River Nyamwamba will burst its banks again due to heavy rains. Over the years since 2013, the river has flooded and caused untold disaster, leaving residents in pain. 

In a bid to resolve the problem, the government, through the Ministry of Water and Environment, with funding from the World Bank, set aside 17.9 billion shillings to start de-silting of River Nyamwamba, to minimize the effects should it flood.

But some of the gabions or barriers built to hold the excess water from spilling over the banks have started caving into the river as water volumes continue rising.  

The leaders say that the original de-silting master plan underestimated the force of River Nyamwamba and the channel created was not wide enough to take high volumes of water.  

The leaders also appealed to the government to re-construct the bridges that were washed away when River Nyamwamba flooded. 

Eliphaz Muhindi the district Chairperson of LC5 Kasese district asked the government to desilt the whole valley and not just the upper part 

Richard Bomera, the Chairperson of the Nyamwamba Catchment Management Committee warned vandals who are tied to the gabions are supposed to hold back the water.

Gilbert