Heavy rains causing tremors, says expert
Jun 26, 2007
HEAVY rains are partly responsible for the tremors experienced in the country, experts have established.
By Herbert Ssempogo
HEAVY rains are partly responsible for the tremors experienced in the country, experts have established.
“There are tremors most of the times when there is heavy rainfall,†the seismological and mines department commissioner, Joshua Tuhumwire, said yesterday.
He explained that tremors occur when water trickles down the fault lines in the rocks, increasing lubrication, which makes movement easy.
This trend has been recorded in some areas in the Western Rift Valley - Bundibugyo, Lake Albert, and Rwenzori, according to experts.
However, Tuhumwire stressed that tremors do not occur each time it rains heavily.
“There are several factors that go hand in hand to create the tremors. One of them is the stress that develops in the rocks,†he elaborated, adding that there is movement once the stress is released along the fault lines.
Kampala city and several parts of the country have in the past couple of days experienced three tremors.
The first, which left city residents shaken, occurred on June 15, while the last two were recorded on Monday.
In a related development, the department intends to increase the number of bases for recording tremors. Tuhumwire announced that bases would be constructed at the Nalubale dam in Jinja, Kisoro, Mubende, Gulu, Moroto and Moroto districts. Currently, there are only four bases in Entebbe, Hoima, Kilembe and Mbarara.
HEAVY rains are partly responsible for the tremors experienced in the country, experts have established.
“There are tremors most of the times when there is heavy rainfall,†the seismological and mines department commissioner, Joshua Tuhumwire, said yesterday.
He explained that tremors occur when water trickles down the fault lines in the rocks, increasing lubrication, which makes movement easy.
This trend has been recorded in some areas in the Western Rift Valley - Bundibugyo, Lake Albert, and Rwenzori, according to experts.
However, Tuhumwire stressed that tremors do not occur each time it rains heavily.
“There are several factors that go hand in hand to create the tremors. One of them is the stress that develops in the rocks,†he elaborated, adding that there is movement once the stress is released along the fault lines.
Kampala city and several parts of the country have in the past couple of days experienced three tremors.
The first, which left city residents shaken, occurred on June 15, while the last two were recorded on Monday.
In a related development, the department intends to increase the number of bases for recording tremors. Tuhumwire announced that bases would be constructed at the Nalubale dam in Jinja, Kisoro, Mubende, Gulu, Moroto and Moroto districts. Currently, there are only four bases in Entebbe, Hoima, Kilembe and Mbarara.