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NAMISINDWA - A huge crack estimated to be 70km long has developed across Namisindwa district, threatening the lives of over 600 households.

Heavy rains experienced, in this predominantly mountainous countryside have seen softened soil over the ground that previously bore mild traces of cracks, curving inside, to yield a wide, bottomless, winding pit.

Geologists attribute the crack to active volcanic activities beneath the ground around the Elgon region.

Namisindwa is a fraction of a stretching Elgon mountain range, a physical feature in eastern Uganda.

The largely and considerably hilly belt (Elgon), in the last three decades, among others has frequently registered numerous cases of landslide calamities that pitifully have been fatal.

Namisindwa environment officer Stella Watsemba says the winding geological open crack apparently runs across six sub-counties of the district, including Mukoto, Bupoto, Bumbo, Bumbo town council, Namisinda town council and Bukoho sub-county.

“Frantic field evaluation by the environment office has indicated that about 600 households that translate to about 1,200 persons with settlement dotted on steep slopes of mountain ridges are at the risk of becoming victims of landslide calamity,” observes the environment officer.

She explains that prior, keen follow-up of the geological threat, before the rain season came, then yielded mild traces of cracks.

“However, with the rain season at hand [is that] the soils around the long winding crack, not only softened, crumbling inside but created a pit, in width ranging between three and 20 feet wide and approximately 50-70 feet deep,” she explains.

Two families that were in the direction of the winding crack, have been rendered homeless for the calamity has since rendered their houses to crumble.

Although the victims survived unscathed, they have since lost household essential items that got buried beneath the ground.    

Warning to the communities

Namisindwa district authority has made physical outreach visits to the community in the vicinity of the long-winding crack.

“We are also reaching out to the community through local Fm radio stations, among others, advising communities in dangerous areas to relocate to safe spaces,” she says.

The ongoing safety campaign by district authorities gradually has so far registered compliance from about 200 households.

“About 200 households since have taken heed of the safety campaign and have physically relocated their families to safe places,” she contends.

The district authority has already taken due diligence of formally informing relevant authorities in the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness through the office of the prime minister.

“We’ve since confirmed that the authorities OPM received the concern, although we are yet to get tangible feedback,” she observes.

The officer in charge Regional Public Health/Disaster Emergency Operation Centre Dr William Okiror admitted he was aware of the prevalence of the crack.

“We’ve already coordinated with the office of the prime minister (ministry of disaster) over the matter. Already the office of the prime minister has dispatched a team of personnel on the ground currently working with relevant district authorities,” observed Dr Okiror.

Regional Public Health/ Disaster  Emergency Operation Centre is a government entity established by the act of parliament with the mandate to coordinate and mobilize support from the centre to contain a lurking public health threat or impending calamity in the subregion.  

The district chairperson could not be reached for comment.

Continuous rains are a challenge

However, deputy RDC Solome Namara regretfully observed continuous rainfall in this part of the countryside in a hilly gradient and a crack running across is a big threat.

“Continuous rainfall is further widening the crack in width and depth, which pauses a big threat. We continue to persuade communities that are still living in danger areas to relocate,” she observes.

The officer in charge Regional Public Health/Disaster Emergency Operation Centre Dr William Okiror admitted he was aware of the prevalence of the crack. (All Photos by Moses Nampala)

Mixed reactions

A section of affected households that spoke to New Vision Online had mixed reactions.
Sowedi Wamundu (59) of Bupoto Bupoto sub-county, who has two wives and 13 children, contends that he has considered the idea of relocating the family to a safe place.

“However, the idea is tagged with a financial burden. I need at least shillings three million, to facilitate me in procuring construction materials of two separate semi-permanent houses for my wives which I don’t readily have now,”  observes.

Eliab Wambogo, 60, Bumbo town council, sounds adamant against suggestion of relocating to safe places and has a reasonable excuse.

“There is a clique of frugal local tycoons that everybody around knows. They have for a long time attempted to grab our land but without much success. Now they want to use prevalence of the calamity to execute their long sought plan but fortunately, some of us are still awake,” he observes.

He explains that relocating from their ancestral land because of the impending threat to safe zones would literally be donating his land to grabbers.

“I’d rather die from here than allow the land grabbers to sell off the family land,” he observes.

Matayo Kuloba, 65, also an oracle of the Batemba clan says, the last thing he could consider doing is relocating.

“My role as an oracle is inherent. I’m bounded to these spirits. I’m certain they have the ability to intercede, should my life and that of my family members ever get threatened. The spirits have done it before and I’m sure they would do it again, should a calamity ever happen,” he says.

The geological challenge of the crack

Senior citizens from this part of the countryside contend that “cracks” are no strange things to them.

Stanley Nawanjofu, 85, a resident of Bukoho village in Bukoho sub-county, says the cracks were a common phenomenon in this part of the countryside as he grew up.

“The only distinction between now and in the past is that the cracks were modest and shallow in depth and width then. They would appear and eventually fizzle as gradually the void would get filled up with soil,” he says.

“The case is different today for apart from cracks appearing considerably deeper they are too wider,” observes the old man.

George wamunga, 70, of Bukoho in Bukoho sub-county, says apart from cracks, among other geological challenges that they’ve lived to appreciate are scenarios of water jutting from the ground.

“You go to sleep at night when the floor of your house is dry, only to wake up the following morning when the cement floor of your house is logged with water that is ankle length deep,” he observes.

Mzee Wamunga observes that such episodes are very common in this part of the country, particularly during the rainy season.

There have been numerous geological studies that have been done in Elgon with the most recent one being the three-year comprehensive geological study, concluded in 2016.

The study was undertaken by a team of scientists from Busitema University in conjunction with Katholeike University (KU) Leuven in Belgium.

The scope of the study was Identifying causes of landslide disasters and cracks among other salient social challenges that afflicted the region (Elgon).

According to Prof. Dr Moses Isabirye, the Busitema University natural resources and science faculty dean, who was part of the team of scientists, their evaluation during the study indicated that Elgon mountain ranges, in vastness, was 332,280 hectares.

The region is constituted of districts of Mbale, Manafwa, Namisindwa, Bududa, Bulambuli, and Sironko.

Other districts are Kapchorwa, Kween and Bukwo.

Soil profile

Scrutiny of the soil samples obtained from invariable spots around the Elgon Mountain range, reveal that the soil particles in this part of the countryside have a common strange feature that considerably render it susceptible to landslides calamity.

“The soil particles are porous (large in nature). Like a piece of sponge, they can easily absorb water (rain) but can’t hold it,” Isabirye says.

Maintaining his stance on the matter, Isabirye observes that matters have not been saved by the nature of soil profile.

“Soil profile literally means segments of the ground from the surface downwards. Ordinarily, the ground, is constituted of several layers of soil. However, the case is different in Elgon mountain ranges. The profile is constituted of a small layer of soil, and the rest is all but a rock," he says. 

“Because the soil particles are large, whenever it rains, water sips through the thin layer of soil, depositing itself on the rock. Over a period of time, the volume of water will accumulate, compromising the grip of the soil layer against the rock, in this predominantly hilly/ slanting gradient, subsequently resulting into landslides,” the don adds.

Human activity to blame

Dr Alice Nakiyemba of the same faculty says the fragile soil texture and profile in Elgon sub-region, has pitifully been worsened by largely increased human activity.

“Increased population in this hilly terrain has inevitably seen the community clear the forested vegetative areas, in the efforts of obtaining more farmland in the process living the fragile ground bear, which creates extensive harm on the ecosystem resulting into landslides," she says. 

Furthermore, Isabirye contends, that among the vital ecosystem depleted by the community have been Cordia tree species.

Cordia tree species

According to Isabirye, Cordia is an indignant/native tree species that for ages has protected the mountain range area from incidents of landslides. A study on the species reveals that this tree species has a strange root system.

“The root system of this native tree that grows naturally in this part of the countryside, is constituted of multiple long fibre-like strands. As the tree grows, the long strand-like root system, interwoven itself into a neat texture hence causing a natural safeguard to hold together the fragile soil profile. However, extensive clearance of this tree species vegetation by the native community in a bid to acquire more farmland would become a substantive factor that has seen the fragile ground no longer able to hold,” Isabirye says.

He explains that apart from the magical long woven fibre-like root system of cordia species, playing a substantive role in holding together the loose soil profile (mostly during the rainy season), the study revealed that the root system, too, could absorb volumes of rainwater that fondly logs beneath the ground.

“Using a unique mechanism, the root system of cordia has a usual ability to suck the volume of rainwater that log beneath the ground during heavy rains season, hence maintaining it to optimal moist level as through its internal natural mechanism could release excess water in space through transpiration process,” Isabirye adds.

Proposition of the study
 
Among others, the scientists suggested that there is a need for authorities to step up vigilance in the chore of restoration of the natural vegetation on the mountain ridges.

Occasional mild tremors     

During the three-year research, natives confessed to occasionally hearing mild rumbling and tremor-like effects from beneath the ground.

Isabirye contends that presence of deep cracks in steep slopes is an indicator of volcanic activities occasionally reigning beneath the ground: “There are forces beneath the ground that pull the earth in opposite direction and later loosen to yield contraction. This is illustrated by testimony of the community who contend that over time, the cracks fizzle out for through natural mechanism get refilled by soil.”

The prevalence of the active volcanic forces beneath the ground remains a mystery for now as they keep on shifting from one spot of Elgon region to another.

The pattern of cracks has a snap trend. Today the crack has developed in Namisindwa the next time a similar crack will develop in Bulambuli, or Sironko.  
   
Isabirye, however, observes it’s a prudent idea to encourage communities in the vicinity of the crack, with the rains at hand, to relocate to a much safer place lest they become victims of landslides given the slanted terrain of landslides.