The leaders and communities in Kalangala district have partially blamed the devastating storm that hit their area on Saturday, on the widespread deforestation.
Four people who include a Police Officer died instantly and at least fifteen others sustained severe injuries in an early morning storm that wreaked havoc in Kalangala town council, on Bugala Island in Kalangala district.
According to residents, the area witnessed a rare storm that presented in the form of a cyclone, which blew away close to 300 houses that include the structure structures of the Kalangala Central Police Station, officers’ uniports, electricity poles and trees.
Meanwhile, Hellen Nakimuli, the Kalangala District Woman Member of Parliament has attributed the tragedy to the rampant cutting down on natural forests that would act as reliable windbreakers in such situations.
She indicates that for a long time, the community in the area has not witnessed such a strong storm, saying that incidents would occur in the further islands that have less forest cover.
She argues that in recent times, the Kalangala district has lost huge portions of its natural forest cover to practices such as logging, charcoal burning, cutting timber and agriculture, hence leaving the area prone to strong winds that usually blow from Lake Victoria.
She blames the National Forestry Authority-NFA range managers for lax enforcement of environmental protection laws, arguing that their offices authorise deforestation practices in total disregard for the consequences.
Nakimuli has challenged the local authorities in the area to join hands and encourage the massive planting of indigenous tree species, to restore the lost forest cover in the islands, beginning with the gazetted central forest reserves.
Paul Ssebuuza, a resident of Kalangala town council, who lost his house to the storm, says the devastated area had a few isolated trees that could not absorb the strong wind that destroyed houses.
He indicates that storms are common on the Lake Victoria water and get condensed in the forested buffer zones on the shorelines, saying that such natural barriers have now been depleted, giving the storms way up to people’s settlements where they wreak havoc.
Henry Lubulwa, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner for Kalangala says that they are afraid that similar eventualities may befall the area if they do not take drastic measures to safeguard the natural barriers.
According to him, in the last four consecutive months, the district has witnessed three similar storms, though the last three were not so strong.
He however says that the District Security Committee and the Emergence Response Taskforce have resolved to enforce strong regulations on the cutting down of trees in the area.
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