Settlements and Homes displaced by Lake Victoria & Nile Flooding
Rains, Flooding and the Government are Restoring Uganda Wetlands
Restoring Uganda Wetlands by Force – Uganda’s Wetlands have been dramatically reduced. Unauthorized Housing, development are found everywhere along with Lake Victoria, the Nile, and other water bodies. Last year, wetlands covered just 8.4% of Uganda, down from 15.5% in 1994, according to the environment ministry. Though illegal (issued by local officials) Wetland land titles became null and void in 2014, less than 300 wetland titles were officially canceled c
due to drawn-out court proceedings.
Now in the Summer of 2020, Nature itself is evicting thousands from former wetland homes, farms, businesses. Finding new homes has become quite tricky for displaced residents. Those that are not leaving the flooded areas are being evicted without compensation. The poor are the ones that are hit the hardest. The rich find another way.
Over 700,00 Ugandans have been affected by the nationwide flooding. Most of those affected were illegally living in wetlands and protected zones near lakes and rivers.
The Importance of Wetlands to Uganda”
Restoring Uganda Wetlands-UgandanWetlands are highly productive ecosystems that act as water sources for agricultural and domestic 
use. They enable farmers to grow crops in rainy and dry seasons, thus boosting food security. They sustain fisheries, protect the coastlines of lakes, and are sources of materials for crafts and building. They provide grazing and watering areas for domestic and wild animals. They are homes to diverse flora and fauna and serve as a southern home for migratory birds.
Uganda needs first to protect and manage wetlands. When it comes to flood water, wetlands act as natural sponges. They capture and absorb rainfall so that more water sinks slowly into the soils and ground, and less becomes the runoff that eventually submerges the landscapes. Floodplains, the low-lying lands on the edges of rivers and lakes such as Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Edward, rivers such as the Nile, are seasonal wetlands. When a river floods, the floodplain is where the excess water finds reprieve, hence reducing flood levels. Elsewhere.
700,00 plus Ugandans have been affected by the recent rains and the resulting flooding. Flooding has caused whole chunks of islands and farmland to break loose and drift in Lake Vitoria. Nile Dams such as Owen’s Dam are now under threat. The Lake Levels keep rising, and releasing more water into the River Nile has not been the answer.
Restoring Uganda Wetlands is the only answer for the future. Learning to live in harmony with Nature with the Pearl of Africa is the only answer. The actual development is not destroying the environment around us but preserving it.
The Destroyed Wetlands are only one of the ecological disasters that need restoration. The chopped down precious Forestlands, such as portions of the Bugoma Forest for another sugar plantation, is another. Uganda’s riches lie in what Nature has bestowed it, its Natural Wonders such as dam-free Murchison Falls. Nature through Floods, Climate-Change Weather, will speak up time and time again. As the Uganda Wildlife Authority Slogan, so apply states, “Conserving Uganda for Future Generations.” Live in harmony with what has been bestowed you.
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