CSOs urge gov't to enhance disaster risk reduction efforts

Mar 29, 2019

Flooding, particularly in low-lying areas, presents the largest risk. Each year, floods impact nearly 50,000 people and over $62m (about sh230b) in gross domestic product.

 

DISASTER

KAMPALA - Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) engaged in tackling climate change and disaster risk reduction in Uganda have called upon the government to enhance its efforts in this line.

Uganda is regularly affected by multiple natural hazards, including droughts, earthquakes, floods, and landslides, among others. 

Flooding, particularly in low-lying areas, presents the largest risk. Each year, floods impact nearly 50,000 people and over $62m (about sh230b) in gross domestic product.

Some of the disasters in recent history include the Bududa mudslides on the slopes of Mt. Elgon and the Kasese floods when River Mubuku burst its banks invading at least nine villages last year.

The organisations under their umbrella body, Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR) made the call during a one-day national coordination meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for Ugandan based GNDR members and strategic partners.

The meeting organised by Action Coalition on Climate Change (ACCC) and Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA) was held on Friday, March 29, 2019, at Grand Global Hotel in Makerere, Kampala.

Enock Nimpamya, the Chairperson of the Disaster Risk Reduction Uganda (DRRU) platform pointed out that Uganda always responds to disasters after they have occurred. "There are fewer efforts on mitigation and the entire cycle of disaster risk management and this puts the nation in a very risky position," he expressed.

While representing Hon. Musa Ecweru, the Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Cyprian Dhikusooka, the principal disaster management officer in the Office of the Prime Minister acknowledged that more should be done to curb environmental degradation and decrease the risk of disasters.

"I often move across the country and I have noticed that bush burning is one of the most ignored environmental degradation activities. This is an environmental problem that will open us up to disaster even more than tree cutting," he said.

Dhikusooka explained this stating that bush burning kills the micro-organisms that help in ecological sustainability. He urged the people engaged in this activity to stop it for the good of the nation.

Among the suggestions made by the CSOs was for DRR to be integrated into district local government budgets. They said this would help build the capacity of local governments to avert the adverse impacts of the disaster on their own without waiting for the central government interventions that usually come in when it's already too late.  

The stakeholders at the meeting also suggested that they would do more stakeholder-mapping so more players across the country are brought on board. Uganda currently has 40 recognised members of the GNDR.

Nimpamya also called upon the members to continue doing more advocacy work so that issues of climate change and risks of disaster are reduced in Uganda.

The stakeholders among other things discussed strategies for sustainable DRR work in Uganda shared the latest updates from GNDR and related activities, developed and set the national priorities and action plan for GNDR /DRRU members. They also discussed strategies of getting on board other strategic partners and actors in DRR work.

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