L.Victoria waters submerge docks, ferry users walk barefoot
May 06, 2024
“Our appeal to the works ministry is to construct temporally and floating piers, which can be used to access these vessels without any inconveniences,” Ramathan says
Travellers including students walking barefooted through water-logged docking pier of Bugoma in Kalangala. (Photos by Samuel Nkuba)
Samuel Nkuba
Journalist @New Vision
_____________________ The submerged Bugoma docking pier which islanders use to access MV Pearl and MV Ssese.
Travellers, including traders, and students who use the two Kalangala major ferries from Masaka, Bukakata to Luku on Buggala Island have been forced to walk barefoot to access ferries.
The development follows the docking piers being submerged by Lake Victoria waters, which have risen due to the torrential rains pounding the region.
The passengers are forced to remove their shoes or put on gumboots and walk in the water for over 50 meters to access the ferries.
Husein Ramathan, one of the travellers, says they find difficulties in removing their shoes while boarding and disembarking the two vessels due to water that has submerged the piers.
“Our appeal to the works ministry is to construct temporally and floating piers, which can be used to access these vessels without any inconveniences,” he says
Rebecca Nalubega, a mother of two, fears for her children because of the rising water levels. She says that they fear that due to the rise in the water levels, the children might drown.
Pastor Godfrey Muyanja lamented that their lives are at stake as travellers since they can’t trace the shallow and deep ends on these piers.
“They’re not allowed to board with vehicles which since it’s also risky,” she added.
Heavy rains that have also caused flooding around all East African countries have greatly contributed to the rise in water levels and have left many people displaced.
Data on hazards
According to Uganda Multi-Hazard Infographic published by IOM UN Migration and RDH IOM Regional Data Hub East and Horn of Africa, in February 2024 floods were reported in Bukedea district, heavy storms in Lira, Kyotera, Kalangala, and Mbale districts.
The impacts of the hazards affected 3,935 individuals from 993 households, with 1,525 people from 271 households being internally displaced. Adults between 18 and 64 years were the most affected age group with a percentage of 55%, followed by children below 18 with 43%, and elderly above 64 standing at 2%. Notably, more than half of affected people were female standing at 54%.
In January 2024, 1,654 individuals were affected bringing the 2024 accumulation figures to 5,589 individuals.
The submerging of piers has not only affected travellers but also vehicles.
Nathan Ssemwanga, a driver, says they fear that shortly if the rains continue with intensity, their saloon cars will fail to access the ferries.
“We will have to abandon our vehicles either at Bugoma or Bukakata and use other means such as bodabodas which will be costly if the water continues to rise,” Ssemwanga says.
Suleiman Male, another driver, lamented that their vehicles have developed constant mechanical breakdowns.
“It’s because water clogged our engines leading us to service them on every journey made from Kalangala to Masaka".
Rising levels of water affecting businesses
The rising waters have ravaged businesses at Luku landing site and Bukakata.
Small kiosks, restaurants, and mobile money containers have all been submerged leaving owners confused about their future in looking after their families.
Several business people have abandoned their merchandise in these wooden houses since there is no room for expansion.
Janet Nakitto, who owns a fish stall, says customers can’t access their commodities since water has claimed their premises and access is only comfortable for those wearing gumboots.
“Even hotels are affected, cooking can no longer take place yet travellers are always in need of eats and drinks,” says Nakitto.
With the current rise in Lake Victoria water levels the shoreline where settlement for some islanders existed is now filled with water.
The current projections from weather experts of continued heavy rains have worried islanders because if water continues to rise, some landing sites will be submerged completely.
According to the Projected Climatic and Hydrologic Changes to Lake Victoria Basin Rivers report, Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater lake in the world with a lake surface area of 68,000 km2 and a total basin area of 250,000 km2.
Its shoreline is shared directly by three East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, making it an important transboundary lake.
The lake is recharged by direct rainfall and 23 rivers flowing from five East African countries Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
There are only two transboundary rivers into the lake which are the Kagera, which flows through four countries: Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania, and the Mara River, which flows through Kenya and Tanzania.
Of the remaining rivers, eight are in Kenya: North Awach, South Awach, Gucha Migori, Nyando, Nzoia, Sio, Sondu, and Yala.
Ten in Tanzania are Biharamulo, East shore streams, Gurumeti, Issanga, Magogo Moame, Mbalageti, Nyashishi, and West shore streams, and only 3 rivers in Uganda which are Bukora River, North shore streams, and Katonga Rivers.
Outflow from the lake is via the white Nile River to the Mediterranean. The Nile River supports the livelihoods of about 300 million people, as it is one of the two major sources of the Nile.
The mean annual rainfall ranges from 1350 mm in Kenya to a maximum of 2400 mm in the Ugandan part of the basin. Precipitation is the largest contributor of water (80%) to the lake water.
The rise in Lake Victoria water levels is a result of overflowing rivers due to the current heavy rains across the globe.
Across Uganda, bridges are washed away, some have submerged, docking piers have submerged, and jetties for modern vessels on Lake Victoria have disappeared leaving some water vessels on the verge of suspending services.
Plans to restore them
The Kalangala Infrastructure Services Limited (KIS) an entity that operates MV SSESE and MV PEARL has revealed that construction of temporary docking piers is underway on both sides of Bugoma Luku and Bukakata.
“We have already informed the Ministry of Works and Transport where the redesigning of these docking piers has been done and construction of multipurpose ones will be done as water levels decrease,” says Joseph Mulindwa, the KIS Spokesperson.
He further assured islanders and travelers that their vessels are modern and can’t fail to land at the port even if the water continues to rise.
Palm farmers affected
Beside the submerged gardens, MV BBB, the vessel that transports their FFB for island farmers suspended services after failure to dock at water water-logged piers of Nkuusi, Bunyama, and Bubembe.
This has hiked prices of transporting FFBs from islands to factories.
Willy Lugoloobi, a farmer from Bubembe says that on the Ferry, they have been paying sh37 per kg transported to Bwendero mill.
“Now, we pay sh40 for a car that transports from garden to boat, sh25 for a boat that transports from Bunyama, Bubembe to Nkuusi or Mwena, sh10 for loaders from boat to car, and sh37 a vehicle from Mwena and Nkuusi to Bukuzindu or Bwendero mills,” says Lugoloobi.
To date, a kg of FFB costs shillings 927 where transport costs are deducted, fertilizers among others.
Also, the transportation price of every 10 tons has increased from sh370,000 to 1.120.000 million for the island farmers on Bunyama and Bubembe islands.
Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has responded to this by raising Nkuusi docking pier for the ferry to land on easily.
“Construction commenced on Sunday and we hope that in a week, it will be done then UNRA embarks on lifting the other two of Bunyama and Bubembe.
Islanders have appealed to UNRA to consider their worries about diseases that might attack them as they step in this water barefooted to access ferries.
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