El Niño brings deadly rain to East Africa
It is currently raining so heavily in East Africa that people are sometimes up to their necks in water. Roads, bridges and railroad lines are being washed away and are impassable, and farmers' crops have been destroyed. In Uganda, some parts of the country are completely cut off. The army is deployed to repair at least some of the roads.
Only when the heavy rain slowly subsides and it clears up again does the full extent of the natural disaster currently unfolding in East Africa become apparent. "I had tethered my goat there," reports Mussa Kasuja, pointing to a stick sticking out of the ground between the bank of the small river and the wooden shed in which he has his workshop. "It was gone the next morning," sighs the carpenter: "Even the chairs and tables that I had just finished building and were standing here to dry were washed away."
Kasuja's carpentry workshop is located in a swampy area between the hills in a suburban district of Uganda's capital Kampala. Like millions of people between the Horn of Africa and the Congolese jungle, the Ugandan has lost almost all his belongings in the floods. Right next to his workshop, a stream flows towards Lake Victoria, around four kilometers to the south. In the dry season, this is just a stream, sometimes no more than a stinking trickle. But plastic bottles and plastic bags pile up in it.
When the heavy rain sets in and the masses of water suddenly thunder down the hills from all sides, carrying with them more waste from all the sewers in the area, the rivulet becomes a huge torrent. The garbage that is swept away then gets stuck between the stones and further dams up the water until it finally floods the street, Kasuja's carpenter's workshop and the surrounding area. Then even a goat doesn't stand a chance and is simply swept away.
Hunger threat for millions
It is currently raining so heavily in East Africa that almost the entire region is under water. The heavy rainfall of recent weeks has caused the already dilapidated roads, bridges and railroad lines to flood, resulting in enormous economic losses and damage. This is due to weather phenomena such as El Niño, which is causing extreme weather this year, as well as increasing climate change, which is now making itself felt. Last week, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Somalia spoke of a "flood of the century" and warned that millions of people will soon be affected by hunger. Around 100 people have drowned there in the past few days. The floods in the fields have destroyed the harvest.
And in Uganda's capital Kampala, the water is literally up to people's necks. Traveling by car can even be life-threatening. Many hardly dare to leave their homes. Photos and cell phone videos of completely flooded streets and meter-deep potholes are currently being shared and commented on millions of times on social media. One video that went viral shows a young couple at dusk, soaking wet and standing in water up to their waists. Supporting each other, the two wade through the center of Kampala. "Our car has gone under," they tell the camera in horror. In the background you can see vehicles up to the hood under water, many have simply been washed away.
In Uganda, the government is now warning the population not to go outside when it rains. The Ministry of Transport has also publicly stated: "During the ongoing rains, quick measures to repair the damage are not possible." Only when the rain subsides will the engineering teams move out to repair roads, bridges, water and power lines. In addition, all administrative districts are being urged not to use the funds set aside in the budget for road repairs at the moment - for fear that "everything will be washed away again by the rain." Transport Minister Edward Wamala asks the population "for patience in these challenging times." The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced a few days ago that these weather phenomena could continue until spring 2024.
Repairs as consequential climate costs
As a result, the railroad authority is now closing the city center of Kampala because the railroad tracks there have been undermined. The main cross-country roads are now almost impassable because bridges have collapsed through the swamps. Most of the main roads are therefore closed. Even the most important lifeline for Ugandan industry, the road to the recently tapped oil fields in the west of the country, where trucks have to transport every liter of crude oil to the Indian Ocean, is impassable. Some parts of the country are completely cut off.
Against this backdrop, Disaster Minister Musa Ecweru declared that he would make money available from his budget to finance repair work. But even here, money is scarce. Uganda - like so many African countries - is hopelessly overburdened with the costs caused by climate change. An internal calculation by the civil protection department revealed that the country would have to set aside three to six billion dollars a year in its budget to counter the consequences of climate change. However, this exceeds the amount of money the government has available for education and health.
In order to make at least some roads passable again, the army was deployed a few days ago to repair potholes. The engineering brigade of the special forces is to carry out emergency repairs. President Museveni admitted that his son had suggested that he deploy soldiers to save the country from drowning.
In light of the ongoing climate change and weather phenomena like El Niño, international aid organizations are urgently needed to aid millions of people in Africa who are at risk of starvation due to the floods. The heavy rains in East Africa have not only destroyed crops and infrastructure but also caused economic losses and damage on a massive scale.
These severe weather conditions and their consequences are a stark reminder of the significant impact of climate change on vulnerable communities in Africa, necessitating substantial international funding and support to mitigate the impacts and ensure long-term resilience.
Source: www.ntv.de
