Fishing Villages Closed as Lake Victoria Water Levels Rise
At least three fishing villages in Masaka have been cut-off by the surging mater levels of Lake Victoria.
According to a Uganda Radio Network (URN) reporter who visited Lambu and Kaziru landing sites in Bukakata sub-county, hundreds of people are stranded at different landing sites in the district after Lake Victoria submerged the fishing villages.
All the pathways to the fishing villages are heavily flooded with high volumes of water that stretch for about four kilometres from the main road.
Paul Ssendiwala, one of the fishermen at Lambu landing site put to 100 the estimated number of houses that have so far collapsed forcing the owners into makeshift shelters.
He said that it has now become difficult for locals to get food since all supply routes have become inaccessible.
Norah Nakazzi Karunga and Moses Muweesi note it has become risky for people to sail through the floods for fear of being swept into the lake.
Aloysius Jjuuko, the Bukakata sub-county chairperson, said that the current situation was last experienced in the 970s when the lake reclaimed all its original boundaries.
Juuko said that they are now mobilizing the able-bodied men to help in evacuating the elderly and children from the landing sites to save them from the likely life-threatening risks.
At Nakiwogo in Entebbe Municipality, close to 2,000 people who have been mainly operating from Banga and Lugonjo fishing villages have been forced out of business.
Paul Zikuliza, the Lugonjo-Nakiwogo village chairperson, said the water has mainly affected traders and residents of Lugonjo-Nakiwogo and Banga- Nakiwogo villages.
Zikuliza said that nearly 250 households with an average occupancy of 1,000 people have been either submerged or washed away.
Zikuliza like the area LC-III councilor, Tadeo Kibirige, said that everyone must leave the fishing villages for their own safety and well-being. Kibirige particularly worried about a possible outbreak of water-borne diseases given the poor sanitation facilities.
