By Aaron Sseruyigo
Bishop Isaiah Mbuga of Christ’s Heart Ministries International says they are making arrangements to distribute relief supplies to mudslide-hit victims in Bududa district, as government efforts to relocate the people to safer places eventuate.
The last week tragedy left over 140 houses carried away in 11 villages and more than 800 people displaced, according to Martin Owor, the commissioner for disaster preparedness and management on the Office of the Prime Minister.
The official reported that 42 bodies had been dug out of the boulders. This tragic event came after about 4 hours of a heavy downpour.
“I call upon us to stand with Bududa,” Bishop Isaiah Mbuga said on Monday, adding that the Ministry intends to send relief supplies on Saturday.
It is on the same note that he made an appeal to the general public to generously contribute towards the initiative.
“Based on the information I gathered anything can help; blankets, clothes, rain jackets, small mattresses, shoes, etc” he said.
The rescue team from Red Cross Society narrated that the boulders rolled into River Tsuume, blocking its flow and eventually caused the river to burst its bunks.
In a statement, Mr Owor said the landslide is the 67th of the landslides normally recorded between May and October.
“The 66 landslides which have happened in Namisimdwa, Manafwa, Sironko, Bududa and Bulambuli were effectively managed by the OPM disaster preparedness department and the respective district disaster management committees with zero deatsh,” he said.
The commissioner said a consignment of relief items including food, blankets, tarpaulins, jerrycans, basins, plates, cups and mosquito nets of about 1000 displaced persons was delivered on Friday.
For delays in evacuation, Mr Owor blamed politicians for the unsuccessful efforts to relocate the people of Bududa and other landslide and mudslide prone areas to safer places.
Speaking to NTV Uganda, Owor said government planned to relocate over 100,000 people after mapping out the risky areas, but efforts were “sabotaged”. Landslides killed 150 people in Bududa in 2010.
