Land breaks off, floats away with crops

KAMPALA - When a chunk of about eight-acres of land broke off and floated away with garden crops for about six kilometres, residents of Bukasa landing site near Munyoyo did not sit back and watch their food drift off into the distance.

They instead hopped into their canoes and pursued the sudd, determined to get their ‘floating’ food back.

The piece of land also paralyzed activities at the ferry landing site and nearby recreational beach.

New Vision photographer Enock Kakande captured the moments . . .

Over 100 families along the shores of Lake Victoria in Makindye division, Kampala hired canoes to collect food from their gardens after water cut off over eight acres of land, turning it into a sudd.

The land where the residents hitherto grew yams, matooke and cassava broke off and drifted away from the mainland at Bukasa on Monday following strong waves.. Here, residents harvest their crops that were carried away.

One resident of Port Bell, Luzira said that for three days, they watched the sudd move from Bukasa to Luzira, until it stopped near Sunset Beach, reducing the space available for boats and fishing vessels at the Port Bell pier.

A sudd is a floating island which moves from one side of the lake to another, depending on the seasons, the strength and direction of winds.

By Wednesday evening, affected families were still flocking to Portbell from Bukasa, a distance of about 6km, to harvest their food. But while the victims cried foul, their counterparts in Luzira rejoiced that they were getting free food.